


Sun & Moon

by blueivorymh (orphan_account)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Demigods, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2019-09-20 03:38:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17014962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/blueivorymh
Summary: The shadows meant death for him but how could he resist when it is the only thing that keeps his light alive?





	1. The Vision

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! If any of you are familiar with the title and summary, this fic is an au of mine in my fan account on twitter, @yzhangml. I'm publishing this here for safekeeping and also for me to improve everything since its previous version is all over the place. Aside from revamping the fic, I will be adding a few more scenes and perhaps chapters to over-all clear everything that wasI guess left unanswered and also to repair some plot holes. This is a demigod fan fiction and is set in the Percy Jackson universe. I do not own Camp Half-Blood or everything Rick Riordan created in his own universe. I only own the plot and purely the plot only. Everything written here is fiction so please do not take anything seriously. Thank you and have fun reading!

                _He was lying in a corner, clutching his bleeding torso. His eyes trembled at the sight of the deep red liquid staining his palm. He tried to generate light, to at least heal himself, but his body felt like glass. He could feel himself slowly withering away as his abilities to heal flickered repeatedly from within him, failing to do its job. He could feel the shadows slowly advancing on him, preying upon his bleeding form as the darkness mocked him from above. He coughed multiple times and tasted rust inside his mouth, his vision slowly blurring its way out from consciousness._

_A person went up to him, holding a bloody sword in his trembling hand. He felt his lungs constrict as he tried to shout for help, desperately clinging onto the melodies he once used as his strength. He stretched out a hand, towards the deep woods and away from the person walking towards him as his body continued to bleed._

Help _, he thought._ Somebody help!

_The person crouched beside him and placed a bloody hand on his pale cheek. He winced at the cold contact and tried to focus his vision onto the man in front of him. He saw a mop of black hair, sticking up in every direction. From afar, he heard the camp in chaos. The harmony of people’s screams filled his ears, an unpleasant blend of baritones and sopranos, creating a painful sound._

_The cold hand remained rested upon his cheek as he tried to open his mouth. His heart thudded loudly inside his chest, taking its final strides as his light started to slowly fade away along with his consciousness._

“Jaehyun!”

                The son of Apollo jumped lightly in his spot, his eyes adjusting at the bright light coming from the sky. The afternoon breeze whistled lightly around him, disheveling his golden hair from its spot as tall grass from around them gently swayed with each other. From across the Half-Blood Hill, demigods roamed around the camp in their armors and weapons.

                Youngho, a son of Aphrodite, gave him a confused look, his eyes demanding for answers. Jaehyun pursed his lips and averted his gaze, feeling his insides churn at the memory of a dark haired man and a bloody sword. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair before heaving out a deep sigh.

“I’m fine,” he said, his voice slightly deeper than usual. His right hand unconsciously went over to his torso and rubbed the burning part.

“What did you see this time?” Sicheng asked. The son of Athena held a book in his right hand yet his eyes rested upon the wide scenery of their peaceful camp. From afar, a daughter of Ares shouted a string of curses as another camper disarmed her.

“It’s nothing,” Jaehyun forced out a smile. “Just the usual stuff.”

Youngho shrugged and continued on cleaning his dagger.  Sicheng, on the other hand, shot a glance towards his friend. Jaehyun felt a slight pang of nervousness inside him as he locked eyes with the child of Athena. Sicheng raised his eyebrow at the evident agitation but decided not to pry.

Seeing the future had never been easy for the child of Apollo. It started at a very young age, when he would randomly see glimpses of the future. As a child, he never really thought of it that much as he thought it was a normal thing for demigods to experience.

“It’s going to rain later,” he once told an older camper when he was about five years old. It was the first time he had seen a glimpse of the future, small droplets of cold water from across the borders flashing across his mind like a slideshow.

“How are you so sure?” The camper asked him. Little Jaehyun pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what to answer. Later that day, rain started to pour, and although it never rained in camp, everyone could see the downpour from afar.

At first, everyone shrugged it off and only thought of it as an accurate guess from a child. After all, the weather is unpredictable.

No one realized his actual ability until he reached the age of nine when Chiron was peacefully watching him pick out strawberries from the field. The child of the sun blanked out for a few moments before jumping in joy and almost trampling the red fruits beneath his feet.

“What’s the matter, Jaehyun?” Chiron had asked.

“I’m going to meet a friend! His name is Youngho!”

The centaur stared at the son of Apollo with confusion clouding his eyes as the little boy continued to jump in glee with his small basket in hand. After a few days, a new camper arrived, in which no one thought deeply of as it was a normal occurrence in their life, yet Chiron can’t help but to think of what other possibilities there may be.  Jaehyun had a wide grin plastered across his face as he talked to the new camper. The boy was slightly taller than him and quite lanky but still very good-looking.

“C’mon, Youngho! Let’s play archery!” The son of Apollo exclaimed as he tugged on the new camper’s sleeves.

“You know me?” The older boy asked, evidently confused as he stared at the smaller child in front of him.

Chiron became restless after that. Apollo is the god of prophecies and everyone knew that, yet only a few of his children actually inherited his ability to see the future, and not a single off-spring lived a peaceful life. Since then, the immortal kept a close eye on the child, and only after a few years did he actually confirm his suspicions after the demigod saw the coming death of a camper during a quest.

It was traumatic, to say the least. Everyone in the camp praised Jaehyun for having the ability to see the future and even called him a seer just like Teresias, yet he failed to see how it was a blessing from the gods. He had always asked himself, how could a natural healer, a child of Apollo, see the deaths of many and not be able to do anything about it?

Despite his oaths, he chose to turn a blind eye as meddling with Death is never a good choice, but now, with what he had just seen, he can’t help but hope for a change of ways. He wanted, just for once, to delay everything, to meddle with the inevitable just to save himself from what is to come for him. After all, how could a child of light die in the hands of darkness?

A loud blow from a horn resounded through the whole camp, signaling their time for lunch. Jaehyun craned his neck to the side as Youngho stretched out his limbs while yawning, his dagger hanging loosely in his hand as the metal glinted under the rays of the sun. Sicheng carefully closed his book before standing up from his spot.

“Let’s go,” he said as he rubbed away the dirt resting on his jeans. His sword hung loosely across his hips as he tried to remove a stain.

“Help me up,” Youngho held out both of his hands to Jaehyun just as the latter stood up from the ground. The younger quietly obliged and pulled the son of Aphrodite up from his spot, lightly grunting at the heavy weight of his friend.

“We have training later,” Sicheng reminded his friends as the three of them trudged down the slope of the hill. “Don’t forget.”

“That’s today?” Youngho asked. “I thought we’re supposed to train tomorrow?”

“We can’t train tomorrow, Seo. Jaehyun has a shift.”

“Can’t he bail?”

Jaehyun snorted. “I’m the head healer, I can’t just bail.”

“You’re always busy in the infirmary,” Youngho huffed. “I’m surprised they even let you take a day off for today.”

The three of them passed the amphitheater and saw several campers training with each other. Jaehyun raised his right hand and waved at his younger brother, Donghyuck, who was currently teaching a little girl on how to properly hold a bow. The younger gave out a small smile just as they passed the building.

The Dining Pavilion, as usual, was filled with hungry campers. Chatters rang out through the whole hall as people greeted and gossiped non-stop while the wood nymphs made their rounds to serve everyone their food. Jaehyun quietly took a seat in Cabin 7’s table just as his other siblings arrived, some holding their bows and arrows while some still wearing their scrubs.

From the corner of the pavilion rested the peaceful sea with its calm waves and salty breeze. Jaehyun saw a few satyrs trudge along the sand, chasing nymphs under the scorching heat of the sun, and cracked a small smile when a satyr fell flat on his face after a nymph sprayed him with water.

“Infirmary’s pain in the ass without you, Jae,” Joy grumbled as she took the seat beside him. “Some campers are even demanding for you to heal them. Apparently, Aphrodite kids can’t understand what a day-off means.”

Jaehyun turned to her and raised an eyebrow. “Aphrodite kids? They barely train!” He chuckled. “How can they get injured if they haven’t even held a single sword today?”

“That’s how they usually are,” Donghyuck said just as he arrived. He took the seat in front of Joy as beads of sweat trickled down his forehead and onto his neck. “Have you heard about the spell they casted on a son of Nike the other day?”

Jaehyun shook his head. “No. What happened?”

“Well, apparently a camper from Cabin 17 insulted Irene’s lack of ability to participate in a hand to hand combat and now whenever he tries to wield a sword or any weapon for that matter, it turns into something beauty related like a brush.”

“Yikes,” Joy muttered. “That sucks. To be honest, I wouldn’t want to mess with any of them if I want to live my life free from embarrassment.”

Jaehyun nodded in agreement at his sister’s statement, his mind wandering over to Youngho and his ability to charmspeak. The son of Aphrodite tends to downplay his skills a lot and tries to make it seem like it’s a useless ability but Jaehyun knew how powerful of a weapon charmspeaking could be when used in the wrong way. If anything, Aphrodite children are just as powerful as the other campers, they just tend to focus more on themselves rather than fighting.

“I think we have to cancel today’s training,” Sicheng said as the three of them walked out of the Dining Pavilion.

Youngho grunted in displeasure as he rubbed his stomach, seemingly full from all the food he just ate. “Thank the gods! I don’t think I would be able to fight for days after taking on all those food. I feel like exploding.”

“Why, though?” Jaehyun asked.

“I need to do cabin inspection today. Yukhei got injured earlier and can’t do his rounds so Cabin 6 needs to do it for today, and since I’m their head counselor, I have to do the job.”

The son of Apollo nodded in acknowledgement while Youngho snorted in response. “Good thing I’m not a head counselor. Can’t imagine the work I have to put up with.”

“It’s nice, though,” Jaehyun commented. “You get a few advantages here and there.”

Youngho pursed his lips and shrugged, ending their short conversation. After a short while, the three bid their goodbyes and went on their separate ways. Jaehyun waved to both of his friends as he made his way towards the infirmary where he usually could be seen along with his siblings and Argus.

The baby-blue house stood proud and tall as the strong scent of strawberries filled the air. Jaehyun nodded towards some of the campers resting on the porch as he made his way towards the Big House’s entrance and into where the infirmary was.

“Oh, I thought you were on a day-off?” A sibling of his asked once he stepped inside the room.

“I have nothing to do so,” he shrugged before walking towards to where two campers were bickering. One had his arms crossed over his chest, the open wounds still bleeding heavily, while the other scolded him for being too careless.

“I told you it’s a bad idea!” Jeno, a son of Tyche, exclaimed, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. Jaemin snorted and rolled his eyes at his friend, small smirk plastered across his face. “That’s how life is, Jen.” He commented.

Jaehyun washed his hands in a nearby sink as the two bickered continuously about provoking some Ares kids. The son of Apollo grabbed a pair of surgical gloves and went over to where Jaemin was sitting. “Alright, let me see your wounds, Min.”

The child of Nike huffed and begrudgingly held out his bloody arms. Jaehyun inspected the cuts and bruises before turning to Jeno and telling him to cut some bandages.

“Do you need a lot?” The teen asked.

“Just enough to wrap around both of his arms.”

Jaehyun grabbed a bottle of nectar and uncapped the container. Jaemin pursed his lips and tried to stop himself from grunting in pain as the healer poured a bit of the godly fluid onto his wounds. Jaehyun then muttered a short prayer to his father before placing both of his hands on the younger’s arms. He started to quietly sing an anciet hymn as light started to glow from his hands.

                “Hey…” Jeno whispered as he leaned in towards his friend. The scissor in his hand hung low, the bandage left hanging unfolded. “Have you heard about the quest?”

                Jaemin cocked his head towards the side as his eyebrows rose for a split second. “The quest involving the son of Hades?”

                Jeno nodded before cutting the bandage in his hand. Jaehyun felt a jab of fear crawl from within him at the mention of the Lord of the Underworld, his vision once again flashing in front of his eyes. A pool of blood. Shadows slowly advancing on him. Red stained sword. A mop of black hair.

                Jaehyun took a step back once the light finally died down. Jaemin glanced at his arms and saw the cuts slowly closing in as the bleeding finally stopped. “Nice.” He muttered as Jeno finally finished cutting the bandages.

                “A quest?” Jaehyun asked, his pupils slightly dilated.

                “Yep,” Jeno replied, popping the letters with his lips. “I heard the council’s planning on sending out three campers to complete the quest. Apparently, Hades’ own son is working against him.”

                “I also heard he got two more demigods with him. They stole the invisibility helmet from the Underworld and ran away with it.” Jaemin commented.

                Jaehyun stared at the two boys in front of him, his golden hair illuminating under the light coming from the infirmary’s windows. From all around him shadows quietly rested, waiting for their time.

                _Help! Somebody help!_

Indeed, this is a world where light exists in harmony with the shadows.


	2. Quest?

The baby-blue house stood proud and tall as the strong scent of strawberries filled the air. Jaehyun nodded towards some of the campers resting on the porch as he made his way towards the Big House’s entrance and into where the infirmary was.

“Oh, I thought you were on a day-off?” A sibling of his asked once he stepped inside the room.

“I have nothing to do so,” he shrugged before walking towards to where two campers were bickering. One had his arms crossed over his chest, the open wounds still bleeding heavily, while the other scolded him for being too careless.

“I told you it’s a bad idea!” Jeno, a son of Tyche, exclaimed, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. Jaemin snorted and rolled his eyes at his friend, small smirk plastered across his face. “That’s how life is, Jen.” He commented.

Jaehyun washed his hands in a nearby sink as the two bickered continuously about provoking some Ares kids. The son of Apollo grabbed a pair of surgical gloves and went over to where Jaemin was sitting. “Alright, let me see your wounds, Min.”

The child of Nike huffed and begrudgingly held out his bloody arms. Jaehyun inspected the cuts and bruises before turning to Jeno and telling him to cut some bandages.

“Do you need a lot?” The teen asked.

“Just enough to wrap around both of his arms.”

Jaehyun grabbed a bottle of nectar and uncapped the container. Jaemin pursed his lips and tried to stop himself from grunting in pain as the healer poured a bit of the godly fluid onto his wounds. Jaehyun then muttered a short prayer to his father before placing both of his hands on the younger’s arms. He started to quietly sing an anciet hymn as light started to glow from his hands.

            “Hey…” Jeno whispered as he leaned in towards his friend. The scissor in his hand hung low, the bandage left hanging unfolded. “Have you heard about the quest?”

            Jaemin cocked his head towards the side as his eyebrows rose for a split second. “The quest involving the son of Hades?”

            Jeno nodded before cutting the bandage in his hand. Jaehyun felt a jab of fear crawl from within him at the mention of the Lord of the Underworld, his vision once again flashing in front of his eyes. A pool of blood. Shadows slowly advancing on him. Red stained sword. A mop of black hair.

            Jaehyun took a step back once the light finally died down. Jaemin glanced at his arms and saw the cuts slowly closing in as the bleeding finally stopped. “Nice.” He muttered as Jeno finally finished cutting the bandages.

            “A quest?” Jaehyun asked, his pupils slightly dilated.

            “Yep,” Jeno replied, popping the letters with his lips. “I heard the council’s planning on sending out three campers to complete the quest. Apparently, Hades’ own son is working against him.”

            “I also heard he got two more demigods with him. They stole the invisibility helmet from the Underworld and ran away with it.” Jaemin commented.

            Jaehyun stared at the two boys in front of him, his golden hair illuminating under the light coming from the infirmary’s windows. From all around him shadows quietly rested, waiting for their time.

            _Help! Somebody help!_

Indeed, this is a world where light exists in harmony with the shadows.

 

 

 

Jaehyun spent his time inside the infirmary until the sun went down and the moon greeted them with its dim rays. He wanted to let off steam. He wanted to take his mind off things. He _needed_ to, but he can’t just seem to put everything aside and act like nothing has happened. For years, his visions never failed to show what the future holds. His glimpses of what was to come always ended up accurate and although it bothered him from time to time, he never really thought of it much as it is entirely not his business to begin with.

He stared at the ceiling, its rough cedar beams looking too familiar to his eyes it almost seemed foreign. Light snores and incoherent mumbles occasionally filled the cabin as every camper inhabiting it fell into deep sleep. From below his bunk, Donghyuck mumbled words related to nymphs and the sun.

From the windowsills, yellow wild flowers decorating the rows glinted under the midnight sky. Its bright colors reminded Jaehyun of the sun and somehow made him a bit calmer than before. He heaved out a heavy sigh, his eyes refusing to take their rest as he continued to stare at the worn out ceilings of his cabin.

He knew dying will eventually come, and he already accepted the idea of it even at a very young age. The moment he started to see the deaths of many, he knew. He was no Sisyphus after all, who tricked Thanatos himself and chained the the god of Death himself to escape his own doom. He was only Jung Jaaehyun, a mere son of Apollo who prefers to heal people than be in battles.

He pursed his lips as tears brimmed at the corners of his eyes. He hated being in battles. He hated seeing blood and chaos from all around him. He simply hated war, and so he hides behind the doors of healing, trying his best to heal as much as he could, trying to distract himself from the fact that many would still fall wounded despite his efforts. He, in its entirety, fears Death.

As he heaved out a shaky breath, he raised his right arm towards the ceiling, his palm wide open as he stared at his fingertips. Slowly, strands of bright golden light started to emit from the tips of his fingers and onto his arms, making their way down his chest and onto his duvet, covering each fabric with warmth and light. He silently closed his eyes and let the magic do its work, feeling the light seep into his skin and into his system, calming every corner of his body as his thoughts cleared out for the first time in a while.

“It’ll be fine,” he whispered to himself as his light continued to flow out from his tips.

Then, a low creak resounded through the whole cabin. Jaehyun’s eyes snapped open, his light quickly dying out as his heart once again hammered inside the caverns of his chest. The son of Apollo slowly sat up from his bunk, slightly shaking in fear as his eyes scanned the dimly lit room. From the window, where the moon’s light peeked through, shadows from the decades old trees swayed in unison, seeming as though they were taunting those afraid of the dark.

The next day, he felt like a walking ghost. Blur of motions passed across his vision as he tried to focus on his food, his stomach feeling empty yet he can’t seem to make himself eat. He felt queasy as the memory of last night repeatedly visited his mind, an image of a bloody sword accompanying it.

From beside him, Donghyuck scowled. “Are you alright?” He asked, his eyes questioning. “You look tired.”

“You look like you’ve seen death,” Joy commented as she held her goblet. She muttered her chosen drink for the day and the container was then filled with unlimited chocolate milk. Jaehyun wanted to scoff at her remark and roll his eyes yet he can’t seem to have any humor left inside his system anymore.

The older son of Apollo continued to stare at his untouched plate as his siblings continued their banter. Donghyuck occasionally threw in a few glances towards his brother but decided not to pry. He figured he’d talk to him later instead when they’re alone.

After breakfast, Jaehyun went back to their cabin to retrieve his weapons for practice. From afar, the Apollo cabin glinted under the heat of the sun, its seemingly normal exterior now covered in blinding gold, attracting every single one’s attention even from a great distance. The front steps creaked beneath his feet as he quietly made his way towards the entrance, his blond locks bouncing lightly on their spot. After retrieving his bow and arrows, he then made his way straight to the Archery Range.

Fortunately, no one was around. In no time, Jaehyun was releasing arrows after arrows, his fingers going through the familiar routine as his arms flexed with each pull. As a child of Apollo, missing the target has never been an option for him. His shots are _always_ precise, yet with all the thoughts running around his head, his eyes can’t seem to focus and every release ended up at least an inch or two away from the center. He huffed out in frustration and drew out another arrow, his cheeks slightly flushed as sweat trickled down his face.

“Damn, Golden Boy. Seven consecutive shots with no bullseye?”

Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows and lowered his bow as he turned to where the familiar voice came from. Youngho leaned on a tree, his hands resting inside his pockets as a small grin flashed across his lips.

“Just tired…” Jaehyun muttered, lowering his gaze. Youngho walked over to where his friend was, his long strides clearly evident with his slow pace. The son of Aphrodite crossed his arms over his chest and studied his friend’s expression with his doe-like eyes.

“What’s bothering you?” He asked. “You’ve been acting weird since yesterday. Did you see another vision?”

Jaehyun remained silent and proceeded to walk over the targets to remove the arrows, ignoring the unusual tone in his friend’s voice. The son of Aphrodite did not fail to keep up as his slow but large steps went well with Jaehyun’s short but frantic ones.

“You know it’s not your fault for seeing them, right?” Jaehyun grabbed another arrow and proceeded to stash them inside his quiver. “You can talk to us. How long has it been since your last vision? Before yesterday happened…”

“About a month,” Jaehyun answered. “It’s nothing serious, Youngho. I’ll be fine.”

“What did you see this time?”

“I’d rather not talk about it, please.”

“That bad, huh?”

The son of Apollo sighed and proceeded to put the collected arrows inside his quiver. Youngho furrowed his eyebrows at his friend and he pursed his lips, watching the golden haired boy mount his bow behind him as the sun peeked through in between the leaves above.

“Tell me what’s bothering you.”

Jaehyun froze, his feet stopping on their tracks. His upper lip twitched as warmth flooded his veins, coaxing him to obey. Youngho’s honey-like voice slid inside his ears, melting like candle wax as it slowly dripped down his system. The son of Apollo groaned in response before facing his friend who now had a small smirk plastered across his face.

“Your charmspeak won’t work on me,” he said, his voice laced with annoyance.

Youngho chuckled before rolling his eyes. “I know. You’re very good at resisting, although I was expecting you to point out my act earlier.”

Jaehyung rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I did notice it, okay? I just wasn’t in the mood to pester you about it.”

“Well, it was worth a shot. You know I’m not the one in-charge of being sappy and concerned in our friend group but I figured another gossip for my cabin would be nice.”

The two of them proceeded to head out of the field. Pieces of rocks grumbled under their feet as they walked in complete silence. The son of Aphrodite had his hands inside his pockets as he hummed quietly, his eyes roaming around the camp as sunlight lightly grazed his skin.

For a fleeting moment, Jaehyun contemplated about whether or not he should notify him about his vision. Despite Youngho’s somewhat rough nature and disability to empathize with other people, he still was his friend. Despite their differences, Jaehyun knew he had a right to know about his inner turmoils. Still, would it be a good decision? Seeing other people’s death was already a hard food to digest, and accidentally seeing a vision of your own doom would be too big of a pill to even put inside your mouth, much less swallow.

“Have you heard about the recent news?” Youngho asked. The both of them turned to where the Combat Arena was and headed towards the entrance.

An idea rang inside Jaehyun’s mind but still shook his head. “No,” He answered. “What is it about?”

“Well…” Youngho dodged a low lying tree branch. Jaehyun noticed the slight change in his tone, usually when something serious arises. “I heard about this upcoming quest revolving around, uh, Mr. Underworld’s invisibility helmet.”

Oh. “A-and?”

“Apparently, the helmet got stolen by a demigod. From what my siblings have told me, the main mastermind was Hades’ own son.”

Jaehyun took a sharp intake of breath and waited for anything destructive to happen. He glanced at the ground and waited for it to open up and spew out scorching lava and undead warriors. “He has a son?”

Youngho shrugged. “From what my siblings have told me, he does, and a powerful one to be specific.”

Both demigods passed a group of campers who were on a heated sword match. Jaehyun glanced at them for a moment before lifting his gaze towards their moving shadows. A chill ran down his spine at the thought of coming face to face with a son of the shadows, his vision once again flashing across his eyes.

“From what I heard, the council is currently holding a meeting for an upcoming quest. Apparently, our camp is assigned to send out campers and face the thieves.”

Jaehyun spared a glance at his friend and saw him in deep thought. Youngho looked like he was concentrating on something as his eyebrows were heavily creased. “What’s wrong?”

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” The son of Aphrodite asked, his voice low and barely a whisper. “What if one of us gets sent out? Sicheng’s more likely to be sent into a quest…”

Jaehyun pursed his lips and lowered his gaze. “I don’t know,” he muttered.

“I don’t want anything to happen.”

“Me too.”

The both of them stopped in front of a dummy. Jaehyun stared at it for a fleeting moment, still in deep thought, while Youngho turned his back to his friend and pulled out his dagger. He walked over to another disheveled dummy and started to throw his weapon towards it. The sharp tip of his knife embedded itself deeply into the object’s forehead on the first hurl.

Jaehyun adjusted the strap clinging onto his chest and walked over to where a few stone chairs rested just across his spot. Silently, he sat on them, not minding the slight heat caused by the sun. He heaved out a heavy sigh before removing his bow and quiver from his body.

He knew being a demigod comes with more cons than it does with pros. Heck, he doesn’t even know if it has its own pros to begin with. All that he’s sure of is that all of them already have their foot inside their grave.

Youngho turned back to face his friend and saw the golden haired boy staring at the ground. “You okay?” He asked.

Jaehyun lifted his eyes to look at him. “Yeah…” He trailed off. “Just…thinking about stuff.”

Youngho craned his head to the side as sweat trickled down his forehead. He sheathed his sword before wiping his neck using the back of his hand. “About?”

Jaehyun shrugged. The son of Aphrodite sighed before taking the seat beside his friend, his mind also swarming with unspoken thoughts. “Is your vision somehow related to what I just told you? About the quest?”

Jaehyun shrugged, his lips in a grim line. “I don’t know.” He replied, his voice quiet as he stared at his feet.

And truthfully, he does not know whether his vision was related to what he had been hearing. Dying in the presence of darkness seemed too foreign as he is a child of light yet he knows that the shadows will always co-exist with it, and despite his denials, he knew that somehow, in some ways, the quest is interconnected with what he had just seen. Still, he can’t help but hope for the opposite.

When dinner arrived, Jaehyun had managed to free his head from negative thoughts as a new camper arrived at camp. She looked young, around the age of 7 or 8. From afar, Jaehyun could see a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Who do you think is her godly parent?” Joy mused as she chewed on a broccoli. “I’m placing my bets on Nemesis.”

“No,” Donghyuck shook his head. “I’m saying Nike.”

Then, pink glow started to emit from the young girl. The Aphrodite campers started to cheer as Irene stood up to formally greet the child. Jaehyun saw Youngho smile a bit and offer her his hand once she arrived at their table. The young girl looked a bit confused at the crowd she was sent to while everyone casually went back to their usual activities at their table.

Jaehyun sighed and proceeded on stabbing the meat on his plate with a fork. Donghyuck glanced at him, his eyebrows furrowed. “Are you okay?” He asked.

Jaehyun hummed in response, his eyes glued onto his dinner plate. Joy tilted her head to the side and made eye contact with their other siblings, noticing the change in Jaehyu’s demeanor.

“Did you perhaps…” Joy trailed off, her voice careful and calculating. “Had another vision?”

Jaehyun sighed and lightly shook his head. “It’s nothing…” He muttered. “Nothing too serious to worry about.”

“Are you sure?” Donghyuck placed a hand on his brother’s thigh. “You wanna talk about it?”

“It’s fine, Hyuck,” Jaehyun managed a small smile to reassure them. From behind, their shadows sat, slowly bidding their time as danger approaches. Soon, it’ll be a battle of light and dark.


	3. The Chosen Ones

Jaehyun felt the days move slowly under his feet. Time never seemed to be difficult at camp yet everything felt heavier than usual, like a turtle on its own journey. He sighed and placed both of his hands on the corners of the sink, his thoughts deeply pre-occupied. He stared at his own image on the mirror resting in front of him, quietly tracing the lines decorating his face with his sunken eyes. His golden hair hung low, slightly covering his vision, and for a fleeting moment, he saw his own bloody image lying on the muddy ground, wearing the same pair of bloodshot and sunken eyes.

Two weeks had already passed since he had his vision and rest never seemed to come his way since then. During the days, when the sun is up and the campers are out and about, he would spend his time inside the infirmary, healing wounded campers and helping his siblings in running the place. He would, from time to time, visit the Archery Fields and hold shooting lessons with the younger and newer campers. During the night, after dinner, he would stay inside their cabin and just lie down on his bunk. He would be up all night during the ungodly hours, thinking of all the possibilities that might occur in the near future.

 _What’s the worst that could happen?_ He had asked himself one night as he listened to the nearby crickets. _What’s worse than dying?_

Jaehyun heaved out another heavy sigh before closing both of his eyes. He tried to regain his focus before opening them once again. Then, he turned away from his own reflection and went out of the bathroom. Loud chatter quickly filled his ear as campers slowly filled the infirmary as minutes passed by.

“Jaehyun!” Doyoung, a son of Tyche, called. “Have you seen my brother?”

“Jeno?” Jaehyun asked as he slowly walked towards him. “He just left with Jaemin a few minutes ago. Why?”

Doyoung groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “Ugh, that little brat.” He muttered under his breath. “I need him to watch the cabin later during the council meeting. The Hermes kids might pull another prank on us.”

Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows. “There’s a meeting?”

“Yeah. Chiron announced it during breakfast earlier. I would skip it if it wasn’t that urgent but some campers told me it’s about an upcoming quest so I have no choice.”

“Oh…” Jaehyun trailed off. “I skipped breakfast earlier. Anyways, thanks for telling me.”

Doyoung nodded, pursing his lips. “See you later, I guess.”

Jaehyun watched as the son of luck marched outside, muttering about his sibling under his breath. After that, Jaehyun quickly went back to work. He went inside the storage unit and started arranging the scattered boxes inside the small room. He crouched down and opened a box full of ambrosia and nectar placed in metal containers.

“You know,” a voice from behind him said. “You’re starting to annoy me.”

Jaehyun kept quiet and continued to sort out the godly food. Donghyuck leaned by the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. The younger frowned at his brother’s back, feeling a deep turmoil starting from within him as the latter continued to ignore him.

“You’ve been ignoring us for weeks now, Jae! Tell us what’s wrong instead of blowing us up all the time!”

Jaehyun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could hear the pain in his brother’s voice and it made his insides churn from guilt. “It’s nothing, Hyuck…”

“Nothing?” Donghyuck exclaimed. He stepped inside the unit and closed the door behind him. “Don’t tell me it’s nothing! You’ve been distant for weeks now and we know it’s because of a vision! It always is! But we don’t understand how you couldn’t tell us what it is, or at least why it seemed to be burdening you so much! You’re never like this, Jae!”

Jaehyun stood up and faced his brother. Donghyuck’s eyes were wide and slightly unfocused, his breathing ragged. His cheeks were slightly flushed as his bottled up feelings started to slowly make their way outside the little bottle encasing them. Jaehyun met his brother’s eyes and felt a short pang of heat inside him as he saw his own eyes from the latter.

“Hyuck,” he gently called, his honey-like voice more gentle than it ever was, trying to calm his sibling. “Hyuck, listen to me. You’re the one who knows me the most and I trust you with all my heart, but I can’t bear to share you my burden.”

“Why?” Donghyuck desperately asked. He tried to grab his older brother’s hands inside his as he begged for an answer. “I’m your sibling! Why can’t you trust me enough?”

Jaehyun averted his gaze and sighed. He removed his hands from Donghyuck’s grasp before once again turning away his back and diverting his attention to the scattered boxes on the floor.

“Is someone going to die again?” Donghyuck asked in a low whisper.

Jaehyun continued to ignore his brother as he felt his chest constrict. The image of his own corpse revisited his mind, penetrating his deepest nightmares not only for him but also for his other siblings as well. “No,” he lied.

Donghyuck remained on his spot, his eyes carefully scanning Jaehyun’s figure, trying to decipher the puzzle that is his brother. He heaved out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his brown locks, his lips pursed into a thin line as exhaustion slowly washed onto him. “You’re lying,” he mumbled.

 _I know,_ Jaehyun thought, but he decided to keep his mouth shut for the sake of his sibling. Donghyuck sighed before exiting the room, leaving his older brother alone with the shadows he had feared since time immemorial.

Camp had been his home for as long as Jaehyun could remember. The strawberry field beside the big wooden house just across the forest where the nymphs reside were the closest places he could call his home aside from his cabin, and aside from Chiron, his siblings were the only ones left he could call as family. For years, he had always been an open book to them, letting them see his transparency despite being one of the most reserved person. He had always shared his worried with them, always let himself unravel in front of them and pour out his deepest thoughts.

But he can’t now. Not when he knew it would be the end to every single one of them. He couldn’t bear the idea of his siblings struggling to hold onto the nothingness that would be left behind when he departs. He couldn’t betray them like that.

 

When afternoon rolled in and all the campers had just finished their lunch, Jaehyun quickly made his way back into the Big House to attend the meeting. By the entrance, he quickly spotted Doyoung and Jeno. The younger sat on the patio as his brother continued to give out reminders to him.

“Don’t let the Hermes cabin get a hold of any of my weapons,” Doyoung ordered as he stood in front of the teenager. “The last time it happened, it was because you fell asleep.”

“I locked the door!” Jeno complained.

“They know how to pick locks, you dummy! Locking the doors is no use to them!”

Jaehyun grabbed the door’s handle and went inside. He quickly made his way into the Rec Room where the meetings are usually held at. Inside. The long ping-pong table that served as their “meeting table” stood in the middle as the other counselors arranged the chairs for them to sit on. At the table’s right corner, Sicheng stood with a book in his hands.

“Hey,” Jaehyun greeted as he approached his friend. Sicheng shot him a quick glance before nodding at him.

“Haven’t seen you around that much since last week.”

Jaehyun pursed his lips. “I was…”

“Busy?” Sichenng raised an eyebrow. “You know, if you’re going to blow us off, you should’ve at least gave us a heads up. Johnny and I waited for you for three consecutive days but you never came.”

“I’m sorry…” Jaehyun trailed off. “I’m just really stressed out.”

Sicheng furrowed his eyebrows before closing his book. “Care to tell me about it?”

Jaehyun shook his head in response. “It’s nothing much.”

“You wouldn’t mop around if it’s nothing. I’m not going to press on that matter anymore but if you think I could help, then feel free to tell me.”

“I’ll be fine, Sicheng.”

“Whatever you say,” Sicheng shrugged. “My offer still stands.”

Jaehyun sighed as Sicheng continued to read his book. He pursed his lips into a thin line and let his eyes roam around the whole room. He saw Chiron enter followed by the other remaining counselors and everyone immediately went to sit on their respective places. Jaehyun sat in between Sicheng and Cabin 9’s head counselor, Chanyeol. From across him, Seungwan, Cabin 4’s head counselor, revived a wilting flower resting in the middle of the table.

“If we team up, we will definitely win the match,” Yukhei, a son of Ares, said. “Athena has the plan, Ares delivers it.”

“That’s not how it works, dumbass,” Sicheng grumbled as he slumped on his seat. Jaehyun glanced as the both of them as they continued to talk about the upcoming games inside the camp. “Ares never follows the rules. If my cabin teams up with yours, it’s already a game over.”

“We can follow the rules this time!”

Jaehyun sighed and leaned his back against his chair. He picked up a strawberry from the tray in front of him and started to chew on it, letting the sweet flavor enter his mouth. At the very front, Chiron now sat.

“Settle down, young ones,” he ordered. The campers hushed and went to their respective seats. Jaehyun shifted on his chair and shot a short glance at Sicheng who’s still in a heated argument with Yukhei.

“I have gathered you all here today to tell you about the recent news regarding the gods,” Chiron started. “I assume most of you already know the case of Lord Hades and his stolen helmet. It was recently reported to the Coven that one of the main suspects used to reside here in camp.”

The Hypnos cabin’s representative meekly raised his hand. “Sir…” He called out, his voice small. “My siblings and I tried to travel through multiple dreams last night and one of us was brought to a familiar man’s dreams. We figured it was one of the recent camper from our cabin who didn’t come back to camp after summer ended last year.”

“And his name is?”

“Ten…”

Sicheng quickly dismissed Yukhei and turned his attention towards Chiron, his interest now piqued at the mention of a familiar name. “I think I know him,” he said, his eyebrows furrowed. “I talked to him once, before he left camp. He mentioned nothing suspicious but I think he could be a spy. From what I remember, he mentioned to me about his abilities and how he could visit and control other people’s dreams.”

“He’s dangerous, then?” Seungwan asked.

Sicheng shrugged. “Only when he’s in his field. His abilities are pretty much useless in battles. I doubt he’s skilled in combat since I’ve never seen him hold a sword during his time here in camp.”

“What if he’s been training?” Yukhei intervened. Sicheng glanced at him before shrugging his shoulders.

Chiron sighed and lowered his head. “Whatever the case is, it is still extremely dangerous. We have been adviced to handle the mishap and perform a quest but we are not confident of the possible outcome.”

“Sir,” Mark, the head of the Iris cabin, raised his hand. “Why can’t the gods do it themselves?”

Jaehyun glanced at him. Murmurs filled the room as the brown haired boy sat quietly on his seat, his doe-like eyes waiting for an answer.

“Child, we all know the gods cannot do their work without our help,” Chiron explained. Sicheng scoffed at his statement before crossing his arms over his chest.

“So we’re risking our own campers again?” The head counselor of the Dionysus cabin asked. “I heard it was his own son who stole the helmet. Why can’t we just wait for him to return it? We already lost some from our previous quests, we can’t lose more.”

“It is not that easy,” Chiron sighed. “I have tried my best against the council but they still refused. All we could do now is obey and hope for the best. From what we have gathered, the culprit and his minions are working hand in hand with Tartarus himself.”

“The prison?” One asked.

Chiron shook his head. “The divine being, my child. The physical form of the monstrous prison where every monster and Titans lie.”

“How will we defeat them, then?” Sicheng asked. “No matter how intensive how trainings are, we aren’t up to match with them if a divine being is backing them up. With our current stand, it’s already looking a bit glum.”

“Only the gods could tell, son of Athena. For now, all we could do is to choose our worthy competitors.”

Yukhei slammed a hand on the table, causing the campers to jump on their seats. Jaehyun winced at the sound, a bit startled. “I will go! A son of Ares is deemed worthy for this type of quest!”

Sicheng rolled his eyes. “That’s a terrible idea.”

“What do you mean? Ares never backs out in battles!”

“Your thirst for blood won’t do anything good to the quest.”

“Their skills won’t be enough to bring me down, Owl Face.”

“And yours can?” Sicheng scoffed. “Perhaps you’re forgetting that their leader is a son of Hades? And that they’re working with Tartarus himself? Are you underestimating what a child of darkness could do? For all we know, he could easily decapitate us without batting an eyelash.”

“Just say you’re scared,” Yukhei fired back.

“I’m being reasonable here. If we want to succees, we need to look at every possible sides first before risking everything that’s left for us.”

“Who do you have in mind, then?” Seungwan asked, worry etched across her face.

“I could go. Athena’s wit would highly be needed.” Sicheng leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. “We’re about to face a son of Hades, right? What better do we have than to battle the darkness with light?”

Jaehyun’s eyes snapped towards his friend. Sicheng smirked before glancing towards the golden-haired boy. “Jaehyun could go.”

“No…” Jaehyun trailed off, his voice cracking. “I-I’m not fit for it. I can’t do battles!”

Yukhei scoffed at his statement. Chiron stared at him worriedly. “You will be a big help, child, and you are highly skilled in archery.”

Jaehyun shook his head. “I can’t.”

“We might need your healing abilities, too,” Sicheng coaxed. “I need you to trust me, Jae.”

Jaehyun stared at him with wide eyes, his lower lip shaking. “I…”

_From afar, he heard the camp in chaos. The harmony of people’s screams filled his ears, an unpleasant blend of baritones and sopranos, creating a painful sound._

Sicheng squeezed his hand. The campers waited for his response. Finally, he sighed before nodding his head. “Alright.”

Chiron nodded before turning back to Sicheng. “Who else is going, my child? We need one more.”

Yukhei raised his hand but Sicheng ignored him. “We need to persuade them in giving us the helmet.”

“Like a charmspeaker?” Irene asked. “We don’t have anyone who could do that, though.”

Sicheng smiled at her, his eyes glinting. “Oh, we do.”

Chiron furrowed his eyebrows at him. “Who is it?”

Sicheng glanced at Jaehyun. The son of Apollo bit his lip before averting his gaze. “Youngho,” Jaehyun muttered under his breath. “Seo Youngho from the Aphrodite cabin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! it's been a while haha sorry for the looooooooooong delay. school's been tough + we had to finish our thesis that's why this update is so late. please leave feedbacks, i very much appreciate them.
> 
> ALSO!!! please understand that i'm juggling writing and my acads (school is very stressful and demanding right now) so updates might be veryyyyy slow. i'll try my best to update as much as a could but please take everything into consideration since i'm also writing two aus on my twitter account :>


	4. The Prophecy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is un-edited so please bear with me >.< yall can reach me at @yzhangml on twitter or at curiouscat.me/yidicking

Jaehyun pushed past the crowd as his eyes frantically searched for Sicheng. His eyes roamed around, looking for a familiar mop of black curly hair as he made his way in between campers flooding the exit.

“Sicheng!” He called.

Sicheng furrowed his eyebrows and turned his head towards the voice. He saw Jaehyun by the door, waving an arm above him as he tried to get the former’s attention. Sicheng took the last step from the Big House’s front porch as he watched his friend scurry towards him with frantic eyes.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, noticing Jaehyun’s dilated pupils. “Are you alright? You look scared.”

Jaehyun panted. “I c-cant…” He trailed off. “I can’t do the quest Sicheng. You know I can’t.”

Sicheng furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean you can’t?”

“I can’t! I’m not fit for any of this!” Jaehyun grabbed both of his friend’s hands, his grip tight and pleading. “I can’t risk it, Sicheng. I’m no use, I might be a burden! What if something happens?”

“Something is bound to happen either way, Jae.” The son of Athena sighed. He removed his hands inside Jaehyun’s grip as he slowly turned away. “I’ve already known for days that your vision had something to do with the upcoming quest, and knowing you, you’ll try to avoid it as much as possible.”

Jaehyun’s mouth went agape. “That’s why you dragged me into this?”

“It’ll happen sooner or later! It’s inevitable. Your visions give you glimpses but I know for a fact that it might be holding double meanings and that everything could still take a complete turn.”

“I…” Jaehyun trailed off. Sicheng shot him a short glance before heaving out a heavy sigh. No matter how accurate and painful it could be, Jaehyun can’t help but to think of the points the son of Athena made. After all, his visions still were somehow connected to Apollo’s oracles. “I’m scared.”

“I am, too,” Sicheng muttered. “But we have no other choice but to face this.”

“I didn’t choose to be in this.”

Sicheng sighed and shook his head. “None of us did.”

 

The sun was starting to set once he got back to their cabin. The sun’s bright rays touched the roof of their cabin, revealing its shimmering golden surface that could be clearly seen from afar, yet despite the bright light that surrounded their cabin, it was anything but bright inside.

Joy sat in far corner, her back hunched over a familiar medical book that was usually displayed in one of their shelves. They usually never touch anything from the shelves, but today seemed like an exception. By the windows, Donghyuck stood quietly as he watered the yellow plants decorating the window panes while the others kept busy with their own weapons or books.

Jaehyun sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Hey,” he greeted his siblings. “What’s with the sour mood?”

Joy looked up from her book and shot him a worried glance. “Well, word got out today.” She tried to look enthusiastic. “We heard you’re going on a quest?”

Jaehyun pursed his lips when he heard Donghyuck sigh by the windows. The younger had now resorted to trimming the weeds growing out from the corners. “Unfortunately, I am.”

“When will you be leaving?” Joy asked, closing her book. “Maybe we can prepare some first aid kits for you.”

“As soon as possible,” Jaehyun answered. “Perhaps tomorrow afternoon.”

Joy nodded and lowered her gaze. She opened a nearby drawer and brought out a few bottles of nectar and about a dozen pieces of ambrosias, enough to last at least a week for three persons.

“Hyuck?” Jaehyun called out. “Are you alright?”

The younger hummed in response, his attention still diverted to the plants in front of him. From afar, his glistening unshed tears stood unnoticed. “I’m fine.” He said, his voice hoarse.

“You don’t sound fine.”

He shook his head and took in a shaky breath as he pursed his lips. “It’s nothing, Jae. I’m all good.”

“Jaehyun,” Joy called from her desk. In her hands, she held a small, brown backpack. From afar, the bag looked like wood, suitable for camouflage when venturing in the wild. “These would be enough to supply all three of you for a week or so if attacks aren’t as frequent as expected.”

The son of Apollo walked up to his sibling and gently took the bag from her. He carefuly inspected its sides, a small smile resting across his thin lips. “Thank you, Joy,” he muttered. “I really appreciate it.”

Joy nodded in response. “Be careful out there,” she reminded him, her voice shaking as tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. “We don’t want to lose another camper.”

“I’ll come back home in one piece, I promise.” Jaehyun placed a hand on top of his sister’s head and ruffled her hair tenderly. Joy snorted as her tears started to slowly fall from her eyes. She tried to escape her brother’s heavy but tender hands as he continued to rub her head. In the end, Jaehyun wrapped both of his arms on her as she sobbed onto his chest.

“It’ll be fine,” he whispered to her head. “I’ll be fine. I promise.”

By the windows, Donghyuck sniffled quietly as he continued on cutting the plants. He used his free hand to wipe some of his tears away as he listened to his siblings’ silent sobs and peaceful humming, letting the darkness close in once again as the fear of losing someone they love haunted them all.

 

The next day, when the three of them arrived in front of the Big House with their gears ready, Jaehyun can’t help but notice the bags under Sicheng’s eyes and the slight frown plastered across Youngho’s face. The son of Aphrodite threw a sharp glare towards Sicheng’s direction but the latter remained oblivious as he remained focused on a parchment paper. The cold breeze of the early morning greeted their skin with a damp touch as the three of them tried to gain their focus for the upcoming quest.

“What’s that?” Jaehyun asked, peeking at the unfamiliar characters written across the parchment he’s holding.

“It’s a guide my father gave me before I was sent here,” Sicheng answered. “He told me to open it before I go on my first quest.”

“What language is that?” Youngho asked.

“Wenzhounese.” Sicheng furrowed his eyebrows. “We’ll have to stick together once we go outside. We can’t let ourselves get sidetracked.”

Youngho tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Jaehyun bit his lower lip as he tried to take another look at the paper Sicheng is holding. Even with his dyslexia, his brain still failed to register the unfamiliar characters in front of his eyes.

“How are you able to read that?” He asked. “It’s more complicated that Ancient Greek.”

Sicheng scoffed. “This is my native language. Wenzhounese is almost completely different from the standard Chinese we hear from other people. This language is typically called the Devil’s language.”

“Why is it the Devil’s language?” Youngho asked.

“It’s too hard to understand, much less learn. Even natives from my country struggle with it.”

“That’s kinda interesting…” Youngho mused.

The door to the Big House creaked, heavy footsteps slowly emerging as Chiron the immortal centaur greeted them with a grim smile. The front porch groaned under his weight as he decided to leave out his wheelchair for today and opt for his true form.

“Children,” he called. The three demigods quickly turned to him. “I suppose you are all ready?”

Sicheng neatly folded the paper in his hands, nodding once as an answer. Jaehyun bit his lower lip and shifted on his feet, his eyes now strained towards the attic where the oracle resides. The small tinted window from above stood ajar, specks of cobwebs surrounding its rusted pane. The son of Apollo felt a chill run down his spine.

“So…” Youngho trailed off. “The prophecy?”

“Ah, yes,” Chiron nodded. “Only one of you will be able to go inside the attic and consult the priestess. Whoever has the strongest mental state shall come and receive the prophecy himself.”

Youngho took a step backward. Jaehyun glanced shortly at him before turning his gaze to Sicheng. The son of Athena stared at the attic for a few moments before answering. “I’ll go.”

“Are you sure about this?” Jaehyun asked, concern dripping from his voice.

Sicheng nodded at him before adjusting the strap of his backpack. “I’m going in, Chiron,” he said.

“I’m trusting you with this quest, my child,” the old centaur’s face softened. “If you come out sane enough to recite the prophecy once you come back from the attic, then will you only be able to leave the premises of the camp.”

“I understand,” Sicheng nodded.

Jaehyun and Youngho stood side by side as they both watched their friend enter the Big House with no traces of fear on his skin. The son of Apollo felt cold on his spot despite having multiple layers of clothes on him. He watched as Sicheng closed the door behind him, his heart hammering inside his chest. Beside him, Youngho bit on his nails in agitation.

“You think he’ll be alright?” He asked Chiron.

“Only time will tell, child,” the centaur answered. “Sicheng is a strong individual, both physically and mentally. He’s more than fit for this quest.”

“What if he can’t take it?”

“Then the two of you will have to either continue without him or look for another camper to help you with the quest.”

Jaehyun did not like the sound of that. He heaved out a heavy sigh and turned his attention towards the tall trees from the camps forest. He saw a few dryads wave their hands to him before disappearing once again into the trees, green shimmer trailing softly behind them.

“Chiron,” he called, suddenly reminded of his vision. “What if someone dies again?”

The old centaur turned to him, a solemn look resting on his face. Youngho sighed at his question and turned to look at the ground as he was haunted once again of the last tragedy their camp had met.

Jaehyun had seen it coming, of course. He always does. Still, despite everyone’s effort to protect the young child from the danger that was coming, no one had the ability to escape the inevitable. It was quite a sunny afternoon when the tragedy struck. Campers had just finished their meal and were already on their respective trainings when cries from the lake ensued, a chaos consisting of each and every one in the camp.

The little girl was left unsupervised, they had said. Youngho was the one to save her from the waters, every limb from his body shaking with fear as he cradled the young girl in his arms.

“Wake up, wake up,” he said, charmspeak dripping down his tone. Everyone surrounded him, fearful and watching as he tried to check the little girl’s pulse. “C’mon, wake up. Wake up!”

Jaehyun and Sicheng had to restrain him, keeping him from using the ability he had just found out about a few days prior. No one in the camp knew about his charmspeaking yet, and since then, he rarely used it again. By the time the little girl’s body was taken away, his tears had already dried up.

“We can only pray for the best to happen, young one,” Chiron sighed. “What happened last time was a tragedy we will never be able to move forward from.”

“She was a sweet girl,” Youngho muttered. “She was and still is my favorite sibling.”

The wind blew in the direction, tousling their hair to the side. Jaehyun crossed his arms on top of his chest to shield himself away from the cold just as green smoke started to crawl out of the attic’s window.

Youngho shrieked when the smoke reached him. Jaehyun gasped and started to back away. A loud crash then ensued from the attic before everything went quiet and still.

“Sicheng?” Jaehyun called out, alarmed. “Sicheng!”

A few moments passed. Youngho stood wide-eyes as he waited for something to happen. The green smoke started to slowly fade away from his feet just as the door to the Big House opened, revealing a disheveled son of Athena.

“What happened, my child?” Chiron asked as Sicheng walked down the front porch’s stairs, his complexion a bit paler than when he left.

“I don’t know. After she recited the oracle, she started to emit green smoke from her mouth and eyes.”

“What about the loud crash?” Jaehyun asked.

“Oh, the old tripod fell when I tried to run towards the door.”

“What about the prophecy?” Youngho probed.

Sicheng glanced at him for a moment before turning to Chiron. “Well…” He trailed off. “She said that the owl shall lead to where the sun suspires.”

“The owl?” Jaehyun asked.

“That’s probably me since Athena’s symbol is the owl. I think we need to head East since that’s where the sun usually rises,” Sicheng tilted his head to the side. “The next line was, ‘and see the wings of a foe in disguise.”

Jaehyun and Youngho exchanged glances at that.

“One must retrieve what cannot be seen by the eye, and one must suffer from an eternal lie. The sun and the moon shall once collide and see the rays as the glow subsides.”

The four of them fell silent once the prophecy was recited. Jaehyun’s mind started to repeat the last lines over and over again as he tried to decipher what it might mean. _The sun and the moon shall once collide?_

“What’s the thing that cannot be seen by the eye?” Youngho asked.

“Something invisible…” Jaehyun trailed off. “The helmet.”

“What about the last line?” Youngho glanced at Jaehyun. “The sun and the moon?”

The son of Apollo shrugged at him. An idea started to brew at the back of his mind but he quickly brushed it away in the hopes of forgetting about it.

“We need to keep an eye on everything,” Sicheng stated. “A foe in disguise does not sound good.”

Youngho groaned. “This is so confusing!”

“Always keep in mind that prophecies should not be taken literally,” Chiron said. “The future is still uncertain. All we need to do now is focus on taking back the helmet.”

Sicheng sighed. “And if we fail?”

Chiron stared at him, his lips in a grim line. “Let’s hope not.”

 

 

 

 


	5. Towards East

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! so sorry for the late update haha school's really hectic rn and we just finished our defense for our thesis so hooray for that!

Jaehyun gripped his bow. He glanced back at the boundary they had passed a few seconds ago, the figures of other campers getting smaller and smaller in his eyes as the three of them continued to make their way inside the camp’s forest, maneuvering their way towards the outside world. Despite still being inside the camp’s property, the protective boundary they once resided in held no use to them anymore. Now, with heavy footsteps, danger awaits for them.

Tall, massive trees whispered amongst each other. Jaehyun can’t help but to observe the shadows surrounding them, his heartbeat erratic inside his chest. He glanced at Sicheng for a moment, observing the son of Athena’s movements and posture, looking for any signs of distress. Youngho sighed through his nose and furrowed his eyebrows.

“Where are we headed?” He asked.

Sicheng glanced at the trees. “East.”

“I know that, but where exactly?”

“I’m still trying to figure out that part.”

Jaehyun pursed his lips. “Don’t we have a map?”

Sicheng reached for his backpack and started to unzip it. He rummaged inside the unorganized mess, trying to look for an old looking parchment, when a low growl erupted from the depths of the forest. Jaehyun bit his lower lip and glanced behind him, the scenery all but familiar to his eyes as the camp slowly disappeared from the horizon.

“What was that?” Youngho asked, going into a defensive stance. He reached out for his dagger resting just above his hip bone.

Sicheng froze on his spot and stared at the empty pathway in front of them, his eyebrows furrowed. A low growl erupted once again, louder this time. Jaehyun gasped when he felt the ground vibrate underneath his feet, his knees barely holding on their own as his knuckles turned white from gripping his bow too much.

“Spread out,” Sicheng commanded, his eyes still glued in front. “We need to spread out.”

Heavy footsteps emerged, getting louder and louder as each second passed by. The son of Athena unsheathed his sword, its dark metal glinting under the rays of sun peeking through the leaves from above the branches of the massive trees. Jaehyun removed his bow from his back and drew out an arrow. With frantic hands, he readied his aim.

From above, a flock of birds frantically flew away, sensing the nearing danger. Sicheng turned back to see his friends, his eyes widening at the sudden large creature bouncing towards the three of them, blood draining from his face.

“Watch out!” He screamed.

Jaehyun leaped to the side just in time before the creature snapped its jaw into the thin air. Youngho staggered backward, falling onto his back as cursed in Greek, and stared at the monster now standing mightily in front of him. The dark creature snarled, its fangs glinting under the light as venomous saliva dribbled down its chin. A low growl erupted from its throat, its limbs moving languidly like waves from the ocean.

“Youngho…” Sicheng’s voice shook. “Get away from it!”

Jaehyun readied his bow and picked up his fallen arrows. From the side, he aimed at the monster’s exposed neck despite his fingers numbing. He locked the target with trembling eyes as he sent out a quiet prayer to the gods before releasing his arrow.

“No!” Sicheng exclaimed just as the arrow hit the monster’s side.

The creature wailed in discomfort and slashed its claws in the air. Youngho quickly scurried away from his spot, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead as Sicheng ran towards the creature with his sword drawn by his side. The son of Athena leaped onto a boulder and into the air, reaching the monster’s shoulder, before slicing it open. He repeated his action several more times onto the creature’s back as it continued to wail.

“Jaehyun!” Youngho called. “Hide behind the trees!”

“What about you?” The son of Apollo panted. “I can’t leave you here!”

“We’ll be fine! Just go!”

Jaehyun groaned and did what he was told. He went towards the nearest tree and hid behind it, his bow ready in his hands. He glanced back at his friends and saw Sicheng mount his sword inside the monster’s backside as Youngho stood his ground, a shield now by his side. The son of Aphrodite leaped to the side, doing a somersault before sprinting to where Sicheng was.

Jaehyun watched in horror when he saw Youngho climb up the creature’s back, determination keeping his eyes ablaze. The son of Athena, on the other hand, went in front of the creature as it continued to wail, its jaw widely opened, exposing its sharp teeth and scaly neck.

“Be careful!” Jaehyun exclaimed from behind the tree. Sicheng ignored him and kept his eyes on the prize. He readied his sword in his hand and was about to strike its neck when the monster wailed and started to trash around the area. Jaehyun grimaced at the guttural sound and covered both of his ears.

“Youngho, no!” Sicheng screamed. The son of Aphrodite had his dagger out and inside the creature’s forehead. He had stabbed it in between his eyes.

“Look out!” Jaehyun gasped.

The monster flailed its arms and sent Youngho crashing down its back and onto the ground. The demigod groaned and clutched his right shoulder, the searing pain almost making him faint as he tried his best to get back on his feet once again.

Sicheng muttered multiple curses in his mother tongue and started to slash the monster’s belly with his sword. Jaehyun groaned and ran towards Youngho, ignoring both of their protests regarding his actions.

“Goddammit, Jae! I told you to stay behind the tree!” Youngho groaned, still clutching his arm. Jaehyun set his bow onto the ground and turned his friend to face him. He stared at the gashes and bruises forming on his skin, his eyes widening at a deep cut resting on his friend’s forearm.

“I need to heal you! You might get infected!” Jaehyun rummaged through his bag.

Youngho groaned once again and tried to grab his friend’s arm with his other hand. “You hard headed fool. I told you to stay hidden until this son of a bitch gets killed!”

Behind them, the monster wailed. Sicheng had now stabbed the monster in its belly, green liquid spewing out of its deep cut. The son of Athena took this as a chance to sprint towards his friends, breathing heavily as sweat trickled down his neck. He had a busted lip and a few cuts and bruises all over his arms.

“The both of you need to hide,” he panted. “I’ll hold it off.”

“You can’t! You’ll die!” Jaehyun’s eyes widened.

Sicheng shook his head. “I’ll be able to hold it off. I just need to pierce his heart.”

“It’s impossible,” Youngho groaned, clutching his shoulder. His face contorted in pain. “You’ll need help.”

“I-“ Jaehyun glanced at his bow. “I-I’ll help.”

Sicheng shook his head at him. “No, it’s too risky for you.”

“But I’ll be using my bow! I don’t need to be in a close distance for me to shoot my arrows!”

The creature wailed and opened its mouth. Jaehyun gasped when it breathed out fire, the bright, orange flame filling his line of vision as the nearby trees set ablaze once it hit the scorching fire. Sicheng cursed and went on a defensive stance, his sword ready in hand as he tried to block his friends. The heat coming from the fire was enough to exonerate the three of them in just a mere second.

Jaehyun grabbed his bow and quickly helped Youngho on his feet. The son of Aphrodite groaned in pain, almost seeing white from the pressure being applied onto his wounded arm. “Fuck…” He cursed under his breath as Jaehyun brought him behind a nearby boulder.

“Stay here,” Jaehyun whispered.

“Do I have a choice?” Youngho retorded before leaning his back against the huge rock.

Jaehyun ignored him and went back to where Sicheng was. He held his bow and inserted an arrow. He stared at the vicious monster and observed its movements, his eyes darting from one place to another as Sicheng danced with it, slashing and blocking its deadly claws and venomous saliva.

Jaehyun took a deep breath and locked eyes with the target. Sicheng stabbed it in its gut and as the monster wailed, Jaehyun let go of the arrow, watching it fly past the trees and into the monster’s right eye, piercing its way and covering almost the arrow’s whole body. The son of Athena grimaced at the green liquid that covered his sword and his arm. He withdrew his sword from the creature’s body and cursed at the substance flowing out of it, too preoccupied to notice the growling of the monster towering over it.

Fortunately, Jaehyun saw it coming. “Sicheng, watch out!” He screamed.

Sicheng looked up and immediately leaped to the side, feeling the immense heat from the fire. His sword got thrown to the side as he tried to frantically take out the flames covering his left shoulder. He groaned at the sudden pain and quickly dropped to the ground to take out the fire.

Jaehyun gasped. He drew out another arrow and ran to the side, now becoming eye to eye with the vicious creature. It continued to breathe out fire, burning everything in its vicinity. A few trees caught fire and went aflame, spreading rapidly within the thick forest.

“Jaehyun!” Sicheng called from across him, laying on the floor. “Don’t!”

The son of Apollo ignored him and proceeded to draw his arrow. He took in a sharp intake of breath. _Please,_ he thought. _Just this one, Dad. I need to save my friends._

Sicheng gasped. Jaehyun’s eyes widened when his arrow pierced right through the creature’s heart. The vicious being let out a guttural scream that filled the whole forest with fear. Back in the camp, people heard the sound. Campers flocked the border and hoped for the three demigods’ safety.

The monster fell on its face and started to slowly turn into dust. The three sat in silence after that. For a moment, everything went still until Jaehyun felt his body shivering from fear. His eyes scanned the burning area and quickly went up to his friend.

“We need to go…” He told Sicheng. “If we don’t, we’ll also burn.”

Sicheng nodded and let Jaehyun help him on his feet. “I need to heal the both of you…” Jaehyun trailed off. From behind the boulder, Youngho appeared, still clutching his injured arm.

“Where are we going now?” He asked.

“East,” Sicheng answered. “Still East, but far away from here.”

 

Youngho was the first one to collapse on the ground after hours of walking. He groaned, laying on his back. “I feel like dying,” he panted.

The three of them now stood in a wide clearing. Sicheng glanced at the sky and saw the subtle smoke coming from the burning woods. Despite now being far away from the area, the smell of trees burning still lingered under their noses. For a short moment, the son of Athena felt his arm tingle in displeasure from the fire he caught earlier.

“We can stay here for a while,” Jaehyun muttered. “We could set camp over there in the corner.”

Youngho closed his eyes and continued to lie on the dirty ground. Sicheng sighed and started to walk towards the spot where Jaehyun pointed at. From above, the clouds moved peacefully. Jaehyun helped Youngho on his feet and started to tail behind their friend, the three of them enveloped with nothing but silence.

When the sun started to set and the air got colder, Sicheng took out a lighter from his backpack and started to gather fallen leaves and sticks.

“Be careful…” Youngho muttered, his upper arm and shoulder covered in bandage. “Your shoulder…”

“It’ll be fine,” Sicheng placed what he gathered in front of his friends. Jaehyun watched as he lii up the scraps, the orange flame making him slightly jump on his seat. “I’ll take the first watch.” Sicheng said and sat on the ground and grabbed his bag. “You two can rest.”

“You need to rest, too,” Jaehyun said. “Your shoulder got burned.”

“I’ll be fine. You take a rest instead. I’m sure those healing drained all of your energy.”

Jaehyun stared at him. In the end, he ended up complying. He and Youngho settled on the ground and laid their heads on their bags, letting the sound of fire crackling and crickets accompany them into their sleep.

_“They sent out campers to find us,” a voice rang. Jaehyun opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings. He was inside what looked like a living room. Small picture frames hung on the wall, a few furniture scattered around the area._

_“I visited Chiron’s dream and saw three young men. A child of Athena, a child of Aphrodite, and a child of Apollo.” Jaehyun tilted his head to the side at the sound of a high-pitched voice. He walked towards the nearby doorway that seemed to be the entrance to the kitchen._

_“A son of Apollo?” A different voice asked._

_He stood beside the doorway and took a small peak. He saw three people. Two were standing and one was sitting on a chair. The taller one who was standing wore a mask that covered half of his face while the shorter one had his back at Jaehyun. The other one, though…_

_“Where are they now?” The man on the chair asked, his voice dark._

_“On their way to find us,” the shorter one answered. “The Apollo kid could also emit light, Yong. Maybe that’s why they sent him after us. I went through Chiron’s memories and saw him training the child with his ability. The guy’s weak in combat but very skilled in healing. I never got to meet him during my time in the camp but I’ve heard about him.”_

_Jaehyun’s pulse quicked. He took a step back and hit the small coffee table just beside the doorway. He muttered a curse under his breath and shot a quick glance towards the three men. All of them had their eyes on him. He gasped when he had a clear vision of who the person on the chair was. He staggered backward and turned his back on them, a familiar mop of black hair and bloody sword playing inside his mind._

Jaehyun sat up, heaving. He placed a palm against his chest and tried to calm his breathing. Yougho glanced at him, evidently confused. From across the horizon, the sun was just starting to set.

“Bad dream?” The son of Aphrodite asked. Jaehyun nodded and ran a hand through his hair.

“I… I think I saw the people who stole the helmet,” he muttered. “There were three of them.”

Youngho nodded. “We’ll talk about it once Sicheng wakes up.”

Jaehyun sighed and faced East, where the sun was rising. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his erratic heart. _As long as there is light, I’m safe,_ he thought, trying to convince himself as the rays hit his face and casted a shadow behind him.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if there were grammatical errors and/or typos! i didnt proofread this yet haha examination weeks starts this week so it might take a while for me to update again so sorry in advanced. 
> 
> feel free to comment! they are much appreciated and keeps me going. let me know what you guys think :>


	6. Wings of a Foe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while! hehe sorry it took so long. school's a pain in the ass so.
> 
> also, unedited! please pardon my mistakes haha. make sure to leave comments and let me know what you think.

It was already noon when Sicheng woke up from his deep slumber. With his hair tossed to the side, he muttered a few curses before neatly packing up his things. “Sorry,” he murmured. “Just a bit tired.”

Jaehyun smiled at him. “It’s fine. You had a rough night.”

Youngho stood up from the ground and started to stretch his limbs, careful not to move his injured shoulder. “Where to now? Still East?” He asked, his eyes still a bit droopy from sleep.

Sicheng nodded and zipped his bag. “Still East. I suppose we’re about to head to the city for now.”

Jaehyun sighed and stared at the burned ashes from last night. He did not know how heading out to the city would lead to his dream last night, yet he still felt wary of the idea of walking amongst a crowd of busy people, not knowing who is who and which is which. The idea made his knees tremble just as much as it did when conquering their first battle the previous night.

“If we’re headed for the city, we should be cautious of those around us,” Youngho noted. “Do you remember the men from your dream last night, Jae?”

Sicheng furrowed his eyebrows and turned to the son of Apollo. “What dream?” He asked.

“Last night…” Jaehyun trailed off. “I dreamt of three people. They were talking about how the camp sent out three campers to go after them. One guy, the son of Hypnos, I think, visited Chiron’s dreams and knew about our quest. I wasn’t able to look at his face, though…”

“What about the others?” Youngho asked. “Do you remember what they looked like?”

Jaehyun shook his head. “The taller one wore a mask that covered half of his face. As for the other one, I only remembered him having dark hair.”

“This might be tricky,” Sicheng sighed. “We have to be on a constant look out. We can’t risk being distracted if that’s the case. They could be after us now that they’re alerted by our move.”

“What if they’re not in the city?” Youngho asked, his lips in a thin line. “I mean, they already know we’re headed East. What if they changed their plans now that they know about ours?”

“Well, there’s only one way for us to find out,” Sicheng grabbed his bag and stood up. He winced at the jab of pain from his injury. “We have to set out now, before anyth—“

A growl erupted from afar. Jaehyun’s eyes widened and quickly went on his feet, his knees trembling. “Fuck…” He muttered under his breath, his eyes glued onto the deep forest where the sound came from. “We need to go!”

Youngho groaned and threw out multiple curses. The three of them then started to run towards East with nothing but fear and determination keeping them going. This is going to be a long journey ahead.

 

After an hour of running, they had finally reached the road. Youngho groaned and leaned on a post that said ‘Bus Stop’, gripping his injury as sweat trickled down his forehead, his face contorted in deep pain. The other two panted and tried to catch their breaths. Jaehyun could feel the veins in his forehead pulsate as he tried to regain his steady breathing after running continuously.

Jaehyun gripped his knees and lifted his gaze from the ground to look at Youngho. “Are you alright?” He panted.

“I’ll be fine,” the son of Aphrodite grunted, still leaning on the cold pole, his shoulder burning. “We need to wait for a bus.”

“But we don’t have mortal money with us,” Jaehyun stated, his vision a bit blurred.

Youngho shook his head and closed his eyes. “I don’t care. We will board the bus whether we like it or not.”

“He’s right,” Sicheng agreed and straightened his back. “The monsters also might follow our scent so we have no choice but to board a bus. It’ll be risky but it’s better than staying here and wait for danger to arrive.”

After a while, a bus finally came. Jaehyun scanned the windows and saw an old lady inside, sitting alone. The three of them walked towards the entrance and the son of Apollo caught a short glimpse of the driver’s eyes before Youngho lightly pushed him inside. Perhaps it was just his imagination but he could’ve sworn he saw a greenish tint for a split second.

“There,” Sicheng softly muttered, gesturing at the vacant seats in front.

Youngho sat by the window and leaned against the glass, gently massaging his aching shoulder. Jaehyun quietly sat beside him, feeling a burning hole on his back. He furrowed his eyebrows and tried to shrug off the eerie feeling, tilting his head slightly to the side before leaning against the head board behind him and letting his aching muscles relax for a short while. Sicheng, on the other hand, remained stoic. His eyes darted from corner to corner, trying to assess his surroundings, searching for any danger that may arise.

The son of Athena gripped the hilt of his sword and glanced behind him. He locked eyes with the old woman and felt a chill run down his spine. From outside the windows, the scenery of trees finally came to an end as buildings started to decorate the whole area, tall skyscrapers all racing towards the sky.

“Sicheng,” Jaehyun suddenly called, his voice shaking. His eyes were glued onto the old woman who was now smiling menacingly at him. Youngho furrowed his eyebrows and glanced, too, behind him

“Hm?” The son of Athena turned to his friends and saw the both of them frozen on their seats, their eyes wide with fear. He turned to where they were gaping at and saw the old woman standing up from her seat, her eyes now like obsidian crystals, glinting under the rays of the sun. She calmly walked towards them in a manner where it was almost too sinister to look at.

Youngho cursed. Sicheng quickly unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards the woman. “Youngho, tell the bus driver to stop.” He said.

The son of Aphrodite scurried to his feet and grabbed the nearby pole. “Stop the bus,” he commanded. The driver blinked once before the bus slowed down and came to a stop. Jaehyun stood up from his feet just as Sicheng gripped his wrist and dragged him towards the doors of the bus.

“You won’t get away, young ones,” the woman said, her voice laced with acid. “You will die.”

Her eyes pierced right through Jaehyun. The son of Apollo felt his stomach churn at what she had stated, his lower lip quivering from fear. “No,” he said. “But you will.”

He took an arrow and did not even bother to use his bow. He gripped the wood in his hand and threw it towards the old lady, his aim still precise despite not using his main weapon. He watched as the arrow pierced right through her chest, eliciting a loud shriek from her throat before disintegrating into black dust, leaving nothing but a trail of dark ashes.

 “Let’ go!” Youngho urged before stepping out of the vehicle. Jaehyun and Sicheng trailed right behind him as the three of them stepped onto the sidewalk, quickly making their way into the busy streets.

“What was that?” Jaehyun panted, his wrist still in Sicheng’s grasp.

The son of Athena shook his head, clearly distressed. “I don’t know! She never showed her true self that’s why I’m not certain.”

“All these fucking creatures after us is making me mad. Why can’t they just leave us alone?” Youngho grumbled, his face contorted in pain. The three of them turned to a corner and quickly passed by an alley. Jaehyun glanced at the empty corner and dragged his friends into the empty lot, his breathing ragged.

Youngho groaned and leaned onto a wall, clutching his injured shoulder as he winced in pain. Jaehyun quickly went up to him and touched the affected area.

“Stay still,” he murmured as he unwrapped the bandage. The son of Apollo placed his bag onto the ground and rummaged through his belongings, searching for the first aid kit Joy gave him before he left.

When he finally found it, he took out a bottle of nectar and poured a generous amount onto the wounded area.

“Fuck,” Youngho hissed.

Jaehyun ignored him and proceeded to mutter a few blessings for Apollo before closing his eyes and humming a foreign tune used to heal the campers. Both Sicheng and Youngho watched as he did his work, the familiar light from his hands already too familiar for them to feel estranged by his abilities.

“It’s not yet healed,” Jaehyun panted after a few seconds. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he felt his energy draining out. “But it’s better than earlier.”

“Thanks, Jae,” Youngho muttered and glanced to see his shoulder. The blotches of purple were now nowhere to be seen.

“Wow, that was impressive.”

The three of them turned towards the voice. Sicheng stepped in front of his friends to shield them and pointed sword at the person walking towards them. The man had light brown and curly hair that grew just enough for his eyes to be seen. He had his hands inside his pockets as he calmly stood in front of the three, a bright smile resting across his face.

“Who are you?” Sicheng asked, menace dripping from his voice.

“My name is Yuta,” the man answered. “A son of Hermes.”

Youngho squinted his eyes at him. “You’re a demigod?”

The person, Yuta, nodded.

“Then why aren’t you at camp?” Jaehyun asked. Sicheng continued to point his sword.

“Ah,” Yuta pursed his lips. “My mother never let me go to camp. She told me it was better if I had stayed with her. Chiron tried to persuade her into bringing me with him but she refused. She said I’d rather try and live a normal life rather than being connected to my father’s roots.”

Sicheng lowered his sword and furrowed his eyebrows. “How did you know you’re a son of Hermes, then?”

“He visited me once,” Yuta shrugged. “He introduced himself to me and told me to listen to my mother.”

Jaehyun felt a pang of jealousy. Apollo never thought of paying him a visit.

“How did you find us?” Youngho asked.

“Well, I was just trying to steal some food nearby,” Yuta laughed. “Then I thought I heard something eerie. Turns out it was just the three of you. Anyways, how are the three of you here? Isn’t it dangerous?”

Jaehyun bit his lower lip. “We’re here because we—“

“We ran away,” Sicheng interrupted. “We ran away from camp. It felt like we’re being held there against our own will so we ran away.”

Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at Youngho. The son of Aphrodite shrugged his shoulders.

Yuta nodded. “Do you need a place to crash in? My studio’s just right around the corner.”

Sicheng turned to his friends. The other two shrugged at him. What could go wrong, right?

 

 

“So, you have messengers from everywhere?” Youngho asked as the four of them walked on a sidewalk.

Yuta nodded and flashed another smile. Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows and watched the man continue on blabbering about how he receives news from all around the world regarding Greek demigods like him, being a son of Hermes and all that. For a moment, Jaehyun thought of their new found friend being on the enemy’s side as he watched him converse animatedly with Youngho. After all, you should never judge a book by its cover.

Sicheng remained silent as he trailed behind them. Jaehyun glanced at him for a moment before glancing back at the busy streets. He wanted to ask the son of Athena about his opinions regarding the alleged son of Hermes but decided not to when Youngho moved onto a topic they are all too familiar with.

“Do you know anything about a stolen helmet, then?” The son of Aphrodite asked. The four of them stopped by a post and waited for the lights to turn red.

“Oh, yes!” Yuta exclaimed. “I’ve been hearing about it from some of my messengers. I tried to look for it once but it’s quite hard when all I could do is pick locks and steal a bunch of stuff, you know?”

Sicheng raised an eyebrow at him. Yuta snickered and nudged him to the side which made the other one turn red in the face. Jaehyun wanted to laugh at the scene.

When the lights finally turned red, the four of them proceeded to cross the road. Midway through the street, Jaehyun felt the environment getting darker. He stopped in his tracks and grabbed Sicheng’s sleeve. A few cars honked impatiently.

“Wha—Jaehyun!” Sicheng exclaimed and pulled his friend to the other side of the road.

Jaehyun saw the shadows move around around them, slowly creeping their way in. The temperature drastically dropped, making them gasp at the suddenly cold.

“No...” Yuta whispered. “We need to go!”

“What is happening?” Sicheng asked him. He quickly unsheathed his sword and turned to look for enemies.

Jaehyun’s eyes travelled everywhere. He looked above and saw a man standing on a rooftop. The familiar figure stared at him for a few seconds before disappearing into the shadows. Fear started to brew inside him as he tried to swallow down the lump forming inside his throat. Sicheng cursed and dragged him away from the shadows.

Yuta led them to what seemed like a dance studio. He pushed the three inside and locked the door. He ran a hand through his hair, seemingly distressed.

“What was that?” Youngho asked, his voice hysterical.

“I-I’m not… I don’t know,” Yuta stammered.

Jaehyun stood frozen in his spot, clutching his torso. Sicheng, on the other hand, was already across the room, rummaging through a few drawers. His sword laid on the floor.

“Tell us!” Youngho commanded. Yuta’s mouth went agape and stared at the taller man in front of him.

“You… know how to charmspeak.” Yuta commented. The son of Aphrodite furrowed his eyebrows in irritation.

“Yes!” Sicheng exclaimed and held out a small box. The three turned to him, confused.

“What is that?” Youngho asked.

“Matches,” Sicheng laughed, a hint of menace in his eyes.

“What for?” Yuta asked, sounding scared.

“Well, we might’ve encountered a person who could control the dark,” Sicheng opened the box and pulled out four packets. “As long as there is light, we’ll be fine. These might come in handy.”

“But we have Jaehyun!” Youngho pointed at the son of Apollo.

Yuta’s eyes widened and stared at him. Sicheng tossed the matches to his friends and his the box inside his bag. Jaehyun stared at the small object in his palm and wondered how they’re going to fight fire with fire.

“It won’t be enough,” Jaehyun whispered before pocketing the small pack.

After half an hour of doing nothing, Youngho decided to peek through the blinds of the studio. “It’s already dark outside,” he muttered before turning back towards his friends.

Sicheng sat down in the middle of the room, his back facing the wide mirror, and laid out a piece of paper. Yuta settled down in a corner and watched the son of Athena with a smile plastered across his face. Youngho sat down beside his friend and urged Jaehyun to come sit with them.

“What’s that for?” Yuta asked.

“It’s a map,” Sicheng answered, not bothering to throw a glance at the smiling man.

“Isn’t that Chiron’s?” Jaehyun asked as he took a seat in front of his friend. He tried to take a look at what was written on the paper but everything was written in Chinese.

“No, I have my own.” Sicheng ran his finger across the corners of the map. A glowing green dot appeared at the lower right corner and another dot appeared somewhere above where the first one appeared, this time in red.

“What’s that?” Youngho pointed at the red dot. From the mirror, Jaehyun saw Yuta frown.

“I’m not sure,” Sicheng muttered and proceeded to scan the map. Jaehyun glanced back at the map and saw the red dot move near the green one.

Yuta stood up from his corner and started to walk towards the drawers. The three remained preoccupied and failed to notice his movements.

“Look,” Youngho pointed at the red dot. Jaehyun kept his eyes on it as it slowly moved near the green dot.

Sicheng furrowed his eyebrows and lifted his gaze from the map. He saw Yuta pull out a pair of winged shoes. The son of Hermes ignored him and proceed to remove his shoes.

“Cheng?” Jaehyun called. “The red dot’s about to overlap the green one…”

Sicheng gasped and quickly went to his feet. He glanced at his sword laying at the other side of the room. Yuta finally finished putting on his winged shoes.

“What’s wrong?” Youngho asked his friend.

“Wings of a foe in disguise…” Sicheng whispered, his voice trembling. He pointed at Yuta.

Jaehyun’s forehead creased and glanced behind him. Yuta stood with his arms wide open.

“Surprise!” He smiled. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

 


	7. Are You Rapunzel?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO! sorry for the loooooooong delay but out thesis defense is finally done! woop woop  
> anyways, here's a new chapter. also, 127's about to have a comeback soon and they're starting their north american tour ayyyyy support our boys

Sicheng was the first one to move. The son of Athena leaped to the side, towards where his sword was lying, and grabbed his weapon, his injured shoulder colliding with the cold floor of the studio. Cursing, Youngho pulled out his dagger and threw it straight towards Yuta, the golden metal glinting under the bright lights of the room as it flew towards the traitor, making a huge gash on his thigh.

“Fuck!” Yuta exclaimed and quickly ascended from the ground.

Cold sweat trickled down Jaehyun’s forehead as he ran to where his bow and arrows were. He inserted an arrow into his bow and aimed it at one of Yuta’s shoe. The son of Hermes scowled at his action and quickly swerved to the side just as the arrow flew right in between his feet, missing its target.

He let out a cackle. “You’re not much of a fighter, aren’t you?”

Jaehyun groaned. Sicheng quickly got up on his feet, sword ready in his hand, and turned to where Yuta was. “He’s not, but we are.”

The lights inside the studio flickered repeatedly. Youngho nervously glanced at the strewn map and saw the red dot overlap with the green one. Immediately, all the bulbs inside the room exploded along with the streetlights outside. Electrical wirings crackled and hissed, sparks spewing out as darkness enveloped them.

There was a second of pure silence.

“Jaehyun? Youngho?” Sicheng screamed, his vision completely taken away from him as the shadows engulfed all of them.

Jaehyun gasped and tried to fondle with his arrows. He tried to insert one in his bow when somebody pushed him from behind. His eyes widened at the sudden contact, his weapon dropping to the now freezing floor. He crouched down and tried to retrieve them but was met with nothing but coldness.

Flapping of wings filled the room, followed by the scratching of nails against the wooden walls. Youngho stood in a defensive stance despite not having his dagger with him. Sicheng held his sword ready in front of him and tried to formulate a plan as Jaehyun remained crouching on the floor.

“Who’s there?” Jaehyun’s voice trembled.

There was a high-pitched laugh. “Damn, Yuta! You even managed to fool a child of Athena!”

Jaehyun grunted and rubbed his arm. He felt cold. He wanted to move and run towards his friends yet the darkness seemed to be pulling him down. He thought of his vision and wondered if he were near his end. He certainly did not want to die this way, but if he had no other choice, then what’s there left to do other than fight?

Being sent into this quest, he knew it was inevitable, yet he couldn’t help but think of ways to avoid his fate. His siblings are all waiting for him to come back alive inside their cabin. Joy is probably already knitting a sweatshirt in her bunk bed while Donghyuck softly sang on the warm floor. The infirmary might probably be waiting for his arrival to come. Outside camp and from across the globe, his mother awaits, sitting on her usual chair in their patio as she peacefully reads her favorite book.

“Show yourself!” Youngho screamed.

“Charmspeak, eh?” The same high-pitched voice laughed.

Jaehyun heard the breaking of glass from behind him and Sicheng screaming Youngho’s name. The son of Aphrodite laid on the floor, pieces of shattered glass surrounding him. He could feel his back on fire, probably because of the pieces of sharp glass embedded in them.

Jaehyun kept his eyes closed. _I am a child of light._ He thought. _I won’t let the darkness consume me._

He heard someone groan followed by the scrambling of hurried footsteps. He opened his eyes and immediately saw Sicheng furiously sword fighting with a shorter man. He looked down his body and saw himself glowing. Not the blinding type of glow, but the glow just enough to see through the dark. Then, the enemy moved. Yuta was fast but Jaehyun was quicker. The son of Apollo picked up an arrow beside him, his eyes wide, and aimed for Yuta’s shoes once again.

“Shit!” Yuta exclaimed as a wing from his right shoe was sliced off, sending him staggering to the floor and onto the broken glass, just beside an unconscious Youngho. He hit his jaw on the floor.

Sicheng, on the other hand continued to fight with the other enemy. Jaehyun watched as the two demigods moved like wild waves in the sea, his eyes going from one place to another, the movements blurred in his eyes because of the pace they were in. Sicheng seemed to be at advantage when he almost took out the enemy’s sword.

“Oh, good one!” The man smiled. Then, his expression immediately darkened. “But not enough.”

The images flashed quickly before his eyes.

 “No! Sicheng!”

Jaehyun stood up from the floor and tried to run towards his friend. The son of Apollo screamed when the man pierced his sword right into Sicheng’s gut.

Sicheng gasped at the blinding pain, his vision darkening. He fell onto his knees just as Jaehyun tackled the man onto the ground and proceeded to punch him. Sicheng’s hand trembled as he tried to remove the sword embedded in him, blood covering his palms. His face contorted in excruciating pain.

Jaehyun pushed the man repeatedly onto the broken glass. The latter laughed maniacly, his mouth and nose bleeding heavily. “Is that all you’ve got?” He taunted. “You’re just as useless as you are inside the camp!”

Jaehyun glared at him and punched him once again. Beside Youngho, Yuta stood up and spit out blood.

Sicheng glared at him. “Y-you… t-traitor.”

Yuta’s face darkened, blood dribbling down his chin. “No,” he shook his head. “I just did what I was told.”

Sicheng coughed and shut his eyes tightly from the pain. “W-why are you d-doing this?”

Yuta stared at him for a short moment before turning towards where Jaehyun was. The son of Apollo continued to beat the smaller man, his face filled with rage. Yuta’s eyes narrowed at the faint glow coming from him before turning towards the door of the studio and nodding at a familiar figure.

Sicheng glanced at the same direction and gasped. “N-no…” He croaked out.

“Ten,” Yuta called. “It’s time.”

Jaehyun ignored him. The smaller man, Ten, gave out a roar of laughter, his mouth and face decorated with traces of dark red liquid. “You are so dead, man.”

Then, Jaehyun felt an arm wrap around his neck and drag him onto the cold floor, putting him into a chokehold. The son of Apollo gasped and felt his lungs constrict from the lack of air. He tried to grab the arm holding him in place and transferred all the light he could produce onto his hands. The man hissed in pain and loosened his grip. From the other side of the room, Yuta picked the bow from the floor and snapped it into two.

“No…” Sicheng grunted.

Jaehyun willed himself to produce more light before facing the person behind him. His eyes widened when he saw a familiar mop of black hair and double-edged sword. The man stared at him with so much menace and anger it sent a chill down Jaehyun’s spine.

This, he thought, is where I meet my end.

The shadows around them moved. The man met his wide eyes and gave out a smirk. “This will always be the flaw to your ability.”

Rows of dark, sharp columns formed around the both of them. It towered over their figures as Jaehyun’s eyes widened.

“No!” He screamed.

Then, blinding light erupted inside the room. The rows of solidified shadow exploded like glass, sending the dark-haired man onto the floor, groaning in pain. Jaehyun panted and fell on his back when the light subsided. A soft glow remained, covering his entire body, just enough to see through the dark room. He saw everyone unconscious around him.

He let out a groan and continued laying there, across the body of the person who seemed to be responsible for his coming death.

 

When Jaehyun opened his eyes, he was still faintly glowing. He immediately sat up, his body alarmed as he quickly scanned his surroundings. The whole framed glass inside the dance studio was shattered, bits and pieces of sharp edges resting across the floor where pools and droplets of what seemed like dark liquid were everywhere. Jaehyun’s eyes widened at the sight and saw multiple figures laying on the cold floor.

Just below where the mirrors were, there lay Youngho. The son of Aphrodite was surrounded by shards of broken glass, the entirety of him bleeding from the cuts he obtained from the impact caused when he was slammed onto it earlier. Jaehyun gasped at the sight and started to limp his way towards his friend.

“Youngho…” He croaked. “Youngho!”

The son of Aphrodite groaned before slowly opening his eyes. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before focusing on Jaehyun’s worried face.

“Hey,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “What happened?”

Jaehyun’s eyes were frantic. “Y-you were slammed onto the mirrors, Youngho.”

“Ah,” Youngho closed his eyes. “I remember that part. What about you and Sicheng?”

Jaehyun’s forehead creased before the sudden realization dawned on him. He abruptly turned his back away from Youngho and searched for his other friend. From the other side of the room, Sicheng barely breathed.

“No…” Jaehyun panted and quickly ran over to where the son of Athena was laying. He checked his breathing and grabbed his pulse to see if there were any.

Tears pooled at the corners of his eyes when he failed to detect any signs of life. Jaehyun muttered a string of curses under his breath and lifted Sicheng’s clothes to see the wound. It was horrible to say the least. The wound was deep, barely reaching his back, and pools of blood covered his entire torso. Jaehyun could feel Sicheng’s lifeline slowly fading away from his fingertips as he tried to apply pressure on the area affected the most.

“Stay with me, Cheng,” he whispered, his voice trembling with fear laced in his tone. His hand shook uncontrollably as he tried his best to concentrate on healing the wound, yet to no avail, nothing happened.

Youngho, on the other hand, tried to stand up from his spot. Pieces of broken glass cracked under his frame when he moved, adding more to the already bleeding cuts and bruises covering the entirety of his back and upper body.

“Fuck!” He groaned. Searing pain covered his entire thigh, a large piece of glass embedded inside it. He grabbed the pointed end and slowly pulled it out, almost slippig out of consciousness from the pain.

“No…” Jaehyun muttered wide-eyes when he, yet again, failed to detect any signs of life. He removed his blood-stained hoodie from his body and dabbed it onto the deep wound. “You need to stay with us, Cheng. No, no…”

The son of Apollo’s tears dropped onto his friend’s tattered clothes. Immediately, it started to glow. Jaehyun continued on sobbing on his friend as his tears continued to make their way inside Sicheng’s cut. The wound, then started to close itself, revealing now only a red gash on his blood-stained skin.

The son of Athena gasped, his eyes wide open, and started to cough.

“Sicheng!” Youngho exclaimed and tried to limp his way to his friends, ignoring the blinding pain on his thigh.

Jaehyun sat back, his tear stained cheeks flushed. He stared at his friend in bewilderment before tackling him into a tight hug. “You’re alive! You’re alive!”

Sicheng groaned and closed his eyes. “Thank the gods for you…”

Jaehyun continued to sob, his lungs constricting from the lack of air. Sicheng chuckled weakly and wrapped an arm around his friend. They’re fine. Thank goodness they’re fine.

“Are you, like, Rapunzel or something?”

The three demigods turned towards the voice. At the far right corner of the room, there sat Yuta. The son of Hermes glanced darkly at them, his mouth still bleeding from the sudden impact earlier.

“You could be a Disney princess or some shit,” Yuta raised an eyebrow.

Sicheng groaned and coughed multiple times. Youngho kneeled over his friend while Jaehyun stood up to face the traitor.

“You traitor!” Jaehyun pointed at him. “You tricked us!”

Yuta shrugged. “You were about to kill us…”

Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “What? We’re not here to kill anyone!”

“Then why are you after us?”

“To retrieve the helmet!”

Yuta shook his head. “Save yourself the trouble. The helmet is safe with us.”

“Safe?” Jaehyun exclaimed. “The world is at risk because you stole that stupid helmet and you’re telling me it’s safe with you?”

“You don’t understand anything do you?”

“You’re criminals!”

Yuta groaned and closed his eyes. On the floor beside him, Ten started to stir. He groaned and proceeded to turn on his back, his nose bleeding. He glanced at Yuta and started to laugh.

“That was cool…” He said.

Yuta shook his head and went to help his friend sit up. “No, Ten.”

“Jae…” Youngho whispered to Jaehyun. Sicheng’s eyelids fluttered shut once again, his breathing shallow but stable. “We just need to find the helmet and go.”

Jaehyun to them and nodded. “I know.” He was about to crouch down to check to Sicheng’s pulse when Youngho’s eyes widened in shock.

Jaehyun sighed when he felt something sharp and cold pointed at the back of his head. He slowly turned around and was met by the tip of a familiar sword.

“Tell us why you’re here.” The son of Hades growled.

“Yong, he’s still glowing!” Ten exclaimed. “Be careful!”

Jaehyun locked eyes with the man in front of him. “We just want the helmet back.”

The son of Hades tilted his head, his eyes dilating. Jaehyun glanced at the moving shadows around them.

“How bad do you want it?”

“More than our lives…”

The son of Hades smirked and lowered his sword. “In one condition, then.”

Jaehyun waited.

“You come with us as prisoners.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the errors hehe i didn't proofread any of this yet. also, leave questions here @yzhangml (twitter) orrrrr here curiouscat.me/yidicking


	8. Negotiate?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HELLO!!! it's been more than a month since i updated this fic and i'm so sorry okay but it's all good now! i just finished junior high school the other day so now i have no school worries to think about since it's already our vacation. now ill have more time to write. also, leave your comments down below and tell me what you think about the story so far.
> 
> twt: @yzhangml  
> cc: curiouscat.me/yidicking

When Jaehyun was young, a son of Hephaestus told him how fires can take away all evidence in just a short blink of an eye. The element, as he had said, is just as powerful as a bomb.

“Isn’t it dangerous?” He asked, his eyes round and wondering as he stood inside the camp’s forgery, listening to the clinks of metals and crackling of fire.

“It is,” the camper nodded. “Useful but dangerous, that’s why you have to be careful when using it. Fire should only be used for a good cause, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun blinked and shook his head, not knowing why he suddenly remembered that one memory from his childhood. Beside him, Youngho groaned, still holding the unconscious Sicheng in his arms as the both of them crouched by a corner, silently watching the burning studio from afar.

“For a good cause…” Jaehyun muttered as he watched the figures slowly approaching them.

“Where’s the other one?” Youngho asked, nodding towards the two demigods walking over to where they stood. “The son of Hades?”

“I don’t know…”

The smaller man, Ten, skipped his way towards the three of them and flashed a bright smile. Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows at his sudden change of demeanor when minutes ago, he had been maniac enough to downright kill them without any hesitations. Behind him, Yuta walked closely, his gaze going from Youngho to the unconscious Sicheng in his arms.

“Is he okay?” He asked.

“Hopefully,” Youngho grunted.

Yuta nodded and held out the weapons he’s been holding. A dagger, a sword, and a broken bow. Jaehyun winced at the sight of his mangled weapon but did not say a sword. Thankfully, his arrows are still intact.

“Let’s go,” Yuta commanded.

Youngho lifted Sicheng onto his back while Jaehyun took all of their belongings. The other two demigods watched them with foreign eyes.

“Where’s your other friend?” Jaehyun turned to Yuta.

“He already left. Why? Miss him?”

Jaehyun rolled his eyes and shook his head, quickening his pace to keep up with Youngho’s longer strides towards the darkness. Behind them, huge smoke lifted towards the dark night sky as the bright orange flame illuminated the empty streets. From afar, sirens could be heard.

“Where are we going?” Youngho asked, craning his neck a bit towards the side while Sicheng’s head moved lightly against his shoulder.

Yuta did not answer. Instead he kept walking, his friend quietly trailing behind him. Jaehyun rose an eyebrow at the both of them and shot a questioning glance towards Youngho before shrugging his shoulders.

The son of Aphrodite rolled his eyes and adjusted Sicheng on his back. “You know, it would be best if you just tell us where the helmet is.”

“Oh, my,” Ten chuckled and took a glance behind him, where Youngho walked closely. “Your charmspeak is quite good! Too bad, we’ve been trained to endure it.”

“Tss,” Youngho shook his head. “Maybe if I try harder, I’d be able to command you to slice off your head.” He muttered.

“Youngho!” Jaehyun widened his eyes at his friend. “Stop it.”

Ten laughed at the both of them. Meanwhile, Yuta led them further into the alleyway they’re in. Jaehyun roamed his eyes around the dark place, rubbing his palms against his arms as the cold night breeze went past through the spaces in between them. The pavement crackled and groaned from underneath their feet.

Jaehyun wondered about the son of Hades’ whereabouts, curious as to where he had gone to. Before they had left the studio, he had seen the dark haired man talking to Yuta with a distressed look on his face before suddenly disappearing into the dark. Perhaps, they’re just as anxious as Jaehyun’s lot in regards with the helmet.

Jaehyun thought it was going to be his end. A sword pointed to his throat with the son of Hades standing in front of him with menacing eyes. It was a close call and the gut wrenching feeling that coiled around his stomach was something he’s not too keen to experience once again. If only he could do something to change his fate, he would. Not only for him, but also for his siblings and friends.

Donghyuck would be too broken beyond repair. Seeing the only brother figure he has, lifeless and alone, will surely scar his core for the rest of his time. Thinking about it already made Jaehyun devastated. He _needs_ to survive.

Yuta stopped in front of a door. The others waited for him. Ten let out a toothy grin before poking his friend. “Do it!” He coaxed.

Yuta pursed his lips and placed a hand on the doorknob. Jaehyun and Youngho watched as the son of Hermes closed his eyes and mutter a few incoherent words. They heard a groan followed by a small click.

“Woah,” Youngho’s lips slightly parted as Yuta opened the door. They were met by an empty hallway and flickering lights. Jaehyun made a face at the lingering smell and carefully scanned the cracked walls surrounding them.

“What is this?” He asked.

“You’ll see.” Yuta continued to walk and the rest followed suit.

Not long after, the five of them approached an elevator. Youngho sighed and adjusted Sicheng on his back as Yuta punched a button.

“Can you atleast tell us where you’re taking us?” Jaehyun asked, frustration dripping from his voice as they entered the elevator.

“You’ll find out soon,” Yuta muttered and watched the doors close in front of them.

It was a slow and awkward ride. Only the grunts coming from Youngho was heard inside the small confinement. Jaehyun let out a heavy sigh and watched the red numbers being projected on top of the doors. Ten, though, kept on throwing Youngho a few side glances before smiling to himself.

For a short moment, Jaehyun thought about telling what his vision was about. Surely, they would understand, right? Yet, he can’t seem to make himself utter out the correct words in fear of changing the future. Either way, he can’t run away from his fate.

The elevator chimed and the doors opened. Ten and Yuta stepped outside, Jaehyun and Youngho quickly trailing behind them. They turned to a nearby corner and walked towards a wooden door. Jaehyun felt the temperature around them drop a few degrees. Youngho must have felt it too, ‘cause when Jaehyun threw a glance at him, his skin was paler than usual and he was lightly jumping on his feet.

“You okay?” Jaehyun whispered to him while Yuta and Ten opened the door.

Youngho nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Come inside,” Yuta stepped aside, gesturing for them to come in. Beside him, Ten had disappeared somewhere else.

Jaehyun did not expect to see a normal living room. He let his eyes roam around the area while Youngho settled Sicheng down on a nearby couch. The son of Athena groaned and stirred lightly, his lips turning into a frown.

“Whose place is this?” Youngho walked towards his friend, holding his back. “Is this some kind of an illusion?”

Jaehyun glanced at the coffee table. “I don’t know…”

Meanwhile, Yuta placed the mangled weapons on top of the table in front of the couch where Sicheng laid, still unconscious. He sat down beside the other demigod and massaged his temples, lightly groaning.

“Hello!” Ten reappeared from the kitchen, a wide grin plastered across his face. “Welcome to out humble apartment!”

Jaehyun and Youngho both stood beside each other, their faces blank at the sudden enthusiasm laid out to them. Not far behind Ten, the son of Hades appeared. His dark and brooding eyes seemed to slither past through Jaehyun’s chest and into his wildly beatin heart. He had no shirt on and his ripped jeans hung low on his hips where his sword rested.

Ten skipped towards Youngho and dragged him to another couch. “Have a seat! Have a seat!” He grinned. “By the way, I’m sorry for what happened earlier. I wasn’t supposed to do it, but,” he pouted and pointed at Sicheng’s sleeping form. “He scared me.”

Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows at him. “You stab people when you’re scared?”

Yuta scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Peculiar, isn’t he?”

Jaehyun glanced at him. On the other hand, the child of Hades leaned against a wall near the kitchen, his arms crossed over his chest. He kept his eyes trained on Jaehyun, inspecting the demigod with wary eyes.

“So, what do we need to do to have the helmet?” Youngho asked. “Do we need to fight you or something? ‘Cause if we do, we’re a bit short right now. Our fighter’s clearly not in his best shape.”

Yuta scoffed. “Is he your only fighter?”

“Well, do we look like we fight well?” Youngho rolled his eyes and gestured at Jaehyun. “We can’t even hold a sword properly.”

“Then why go on a quest?” Yuta raised an eyebrow. “You three seem… underwhelming. Don’t they, Taeyong?”

The dark haired man, Taeyong lightly shook his head at him.

“So?” Youngho glanced at Taeyong, his eyes laced with indifference. “What now?”

“You just have to obey to our commands.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

Ten bit his lower lip. “Are you sure about this, Yong?”

The son of Hades did not answer. Yuta sighed and stood up from his seat, leaving the unconscious Sicheng alone. Ten pouted at his friend before noticing a few droplets of red liquid staining the floor.

“Oh!” His eyes widened at Youngho. “You’re bleeding!”

Youngho glanced at his injured thigh and saw the handkerchief wrapped around it soaked with blood. His wound was starting to bleed again. Jaehyun mentally cursed at himself and went to his friend in an instant, dropping down all of his belongings on the floor and going on his knees to check on the deep wound. Ten took a step back and watched as the healer rummaged through their belongings, quickly pulling out a piece ambrosia and a bottle of nectar.

“This might hurt,” Jaehyun muttered as he prepared the nectar.

“Oh, please. I’ve experienced this a million times al—“ Youngho shouted in pain and quickly bit his own fist to prevent himself from making more noises as Jaehyun poured the godly liquid onto his thigh

Jaehyun set the bottle of nectar down and muttered few blessings for Apollo before placing both of his palms against Youngho’s wound. He started to hum quietly and Youngho could feel his consciousness slowly slipping away from him. Before all of that could happen, though, the pain finally subsided and Jaehyun’s palms started to glow. The son of Aphrodite closed his eyes and sighed in relief, leaning against the couch and letting his friend do his job.

“Cool!” Ten exclaimed once Jaehyun finished. Yuta glanced worriedly at Taeyong.

The son of Apollo dropped his hands onto his side and let out a shaky breath. Only now could he feel his energy draining out from his system.

“Show’s over,” Taeyong announced, shifting lightly on his feet as he met eyes with Jaehyun. “We’ll have to negotiate now.”

“Well, I have a clever proposal for you,” Youngho stood up from the couch, still limping but in a better condition now nonetheless. “Give us the helmet, we’ll leave peacefully, we won’t expose your identities, and we could all be happy! How does it sound?”

Yuta shook his head. “Horrible.”

“Yeah,” Ten nodded. “You’re not really much of a planner, aren’t you?”

Youngho shrugged and pointed at Sicheng. “It’s his job.”

“Makes sense.”

Taeyong shook his head at them. “Wake your friend. We have a lot to discuss.”

 

 

 


	9. Duties

Sicheng always had the best reflexes among the three of them. Sometimes, though, it could be a pain in the ass.

“Cheng, put it down!”

Jaehyun’s eyes widened, taking a step backwards away from his friend. The moment the son of Athena opened his eyes, he knew something wasn’t quite right. Barely a second passed and he already had a sword in his hand, ignoring the pulsating ache coming from his wound, and was already pointing at the enemies, his pale face full of menace.

“Woah!” Ten chuckled, his hands up in the air. “Take it easy!”

“Why am I here?” Sicheng sneered before turning to his friends. “What’s going on!?”

“Cheng, calm down.” Youngho put his hands in front of him.

“Calm down!? You want me to calm down!?”

Yuta rolled his eyes and went behind the son of Athena, his face in a scowl. Ten snickered beside Taeyong and leaned against a wall, clearly enjoying the scene in front. Sicheng felt a light push on his back and in a flash, his sword was taken away from his hand.

“Hey!” Jaehyun exclaimed.

Sicheng’s eyes widened at the sudden occurrence and turned to see the son of Hermes holding his sword by the hilt and smirking at him.

“Give it back,” Sicheng snarled.

Yuta raised an eyebrow. “Ask me nicely, Brainy, or else…”

“Or else what?”

Jaehyun shook his head and went to grab Sicheng’s arm, gently tugging at his friend to try and stop him from attacking the demigod holding his sword.

“It’s not worth it, Sicheng,” Jaehyun whispered. “Let it go. We’ll explain everything to you, just calm down and d—“

“Or else what, you traitor?” Sicheng scowled, removing his arm from Jaehyun’s grip. “You won’t give us the helmet? I wouldn’t be too concerned with that. You know I’d beat you in a blink of an eye.”

Yuta clenched his jaw repeatedly, his knuckles now turning white from gripping the sword’s hilt. “Watch your words, Brainy.”

“What? Can’t handle the truth? We’ll get that helmet without your help, one way or the other.”

“Do it, then. If you’re so high and mighty, why haven’t you retrieved the helmet, yet?” Yuta chuckled. He tossed the sword onto the ground before turning away. “You’re weak for a child of Athena.”

Sicheng felt his blood boil at that. No one should _ever_ question his worth as a son of Athena. No one.

Jaehyun’s eyes widened when Sicheng lunged at Yuta. Both Taeyong and Ten quickly ran towards their friend, the latter frantically calling out his name while Taeyong pulled him away from the seething demigod. Youngho cursed repeatedly and tried to pry away Sicheng from Yuta’s torso.

“Stop it!” Youngho groaned.

Yuta fixed his t-shirt and glanced at the small scratch on his arm. He shot a glare at Sicheng before shaking his head and heading towards to where the kitchen was. Sicheng only huffed in response and watched the other two demigods follow their friend into the other room.

“You shouldn’t have done that!” Youngho let out an exasperated sigh once the other three were out of sight.

“Why shouldn’t I?” Sicheng fired. “They’re our enemies! They almost killed us!”

“We have to other choice, Cheng! They have the helmet!”

“So we’re trusting them just because they said they have the helmet? Is that it? Are you out of your mind?”

Jaehyun sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe…”

Sicheng shot him a glance. “And you! You agreed to this?”

Jaehyun pursed his lips. “Youngho’s right. We have no other choice.”

Sicheng scoffed at the both of them before turning away and placing his hands on his hips. He bit his lower lip and glanced at the sword lying on the floor.

“We just have to obey to their commands,” said Jaehyun.

“That’s exactly how others get killed, Jae.” Sicheng turned to him. “You know we can’t trust anyone but ourselves.”

Youngho opened his mouth and was about to say something when he was cut off by the sound of shattering glass. The three of them casted each other a look, seemingly confused at the sudden noise. Jaehyun was the one to walk towards the doorway leading to the kitchen and take a peek at what happened.

By the dining table, he saw Ten laughing hysterically, his hand clutching his stomach, while Yuta let out an exasperated sigh. The son of Hermes crouched down to clean the shards of glass scattered on the floor while Taeyong gently shook his head at them.

“Sorry, Yong! I thought he was going to catch it!” Ten wheezed in between his laughs.

Behind Jaehyun, Youngho and Sicheng followed suit, the latter still scowling. Taeyong glanced at the doorway and saw Jaehyun staring at him. He furrowed his eyebrows and quickly averted his gaze.

“Clean up quickly, Yuta.” Taeyong cleared his throat before turning to the other three. “Have a seat.” He gestured at the chairs surrounding the wooden table.

“Behave.” Youngho whispered to Sicheng before walking inside the kitchen. Jaehyun quickly trailed behind the son of Aphrodite and took the seat beside him. Sicheng was the only one left standing by the doorway, his expression still hard.

“What do you want from us?” He asked, his question directed to Taeyong.

Yuta stood up, pieces of broken glass in his hands, and raised an eyebrow. Ten nudged his side.

“Have a seat.” Taeyong repeated and gestured at the chairs once again.

Jaehyun glanced at his friend and pulled out the chair next to him. Sicheng let out an exasperated sigh and went towards the chair, muttering a few curses under his breath while Yuta and Ten proceeded to throw away the broken bits of glass before also taking their seats.

“Get to the point.” Sicheng said.

Yuta raised an eyebrow, staring directly at Sicheng. He lightly shook his head at the demigod sitting in front of him, his mood turning sour once again. “Ask nicely, Brainy.”

Sicheng ignored him. Youngho cleared his throat while Jaehyun shifted uncomfortably on his seat, his eyes watching Taeyong’s every move. The son of Hades pulled out the chair from across Jaehyun and sat there.

“So,” Taeyong smirked. “My father sent you here?”

“Your father? Hades?”

“Who else, then?” Yuta rolled his eyes.

Sicheng threw him a hard glare before balling his fists. Youngho and Jaehyun quickly grabbed both of his arms to stop him from what he’s about to do.

“Stop it.” Youngho said through gritted teeth.

“We weren’t sent here by your father…” Jaehyun glanced at Taeyong, his mouth suddenly dry. “The camp sent us on a quest to retrieve the stolen helmet and return it to where it actually belongs.”

Taeyong scoffed, his eyes darkening at Jaehyun’s words. “You don’t understand anything, don’t you?”

Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows. “What?”

“We have duties to fulfill, Sunshine. If you don’t have anything to offer us at all, then leave and stop wasting our time.”

“What duties?” Sicheng scoffed. “If working with Tartarus himself is your so-called duty, then I’m telling you this now, you’re all going to die with us in the end if you continue with your stupid ass of a plan!”

“What?” Ten exclaimed, his eyebrows furrowed as he shot Sicheng a weird look. “Who said we’re working with him?”

Taeyong raised an eyebrow, his lips turning into a pout. Jaehyun thought he looked cocky with that kind of expression.

“Don’t lie to us.” Youngho stated.

“We’re not lying!” Ten defended. “Why would we work with him? We’re not dumb! The reason why we know where the helmet is is because we’re guarding it from him!”

“What?” Sicheng’s ears perked up, alarmed. “What are you saying?”

Yuta sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “We heard about _his_ plan on stealing the helmet from Hades’ palace, that’s why we went to the Underworld first and stole it ourselves. The only reason we’re hiding is because his minions are after us.”

“And we’re supposed to believe that?” Sicheng spat.

“Then don’t!” Ten huffed. “We just wanted to protect everyone, okay?”

“You almost killed Youngho and I!”

“You were after me, too!”

“You were about to kill us! Of course, I would be after you!”

“Stop it!” Yuta groaned. He grabbed Ten’s shoulder and pulled him back to his chair. Sicheng glared at the both of them while Jaehyun sighed in frustration.

“What are your plans, then?” The son of Apollo asked. “Everyone thinks you’re all criminals now.”

Jaehyun glanced at Taeyong with wary eyes. The latter returned his look, tiredness suddenly radiating off him like waves. Jaehyun blinked once before averting his gaze, shocked by the sudden intensity. What was that about?

“This is so confusing.” Youngho whispered to himself as the six of them fell silent.

Jaehyun bit his lower lip and glanced at the small wall clock hanging just above the stove. He watched the hands slowly tick as each second passed by. Suddenly, their quest seemed to stop in front of a dead-end, and it made him anxious as to what their next step may be.

He sighed and placed his head in between his palms, rummaging through his brain for any strategic moves the could use next. From across his seat, Taeyong quietly watched his subtle movements.

It was quite a sight to see, knowing the fact that the two of them almost killed each other just an hour ago. Now, here they are, inside a small and crappy apartment, sitting across each other and acting like nothing happened at all. It makes Taeyong wonder.

“Is this place well protected?” Youngho asked after a few minutes of silence. “Monster proof and all that jazz?”

Taeyong hummed in response.

Sicheng blinked and finally snapped back into reality after blanking out. “We need to formulate plans if we’re going through this.”

“Plans?” Ten asked.

“Yes. Plans, with an ‘s’. We’ll need back-ups. I already have one in mind and it involves the helmet.”

“We’re not giving it back to you.” Taeyong told him, lightly shaking his head.

“Then we’re taking it whether you like it or not.” Jaehyun pursed his lips and watched as Taeyong threw him a hard glare.

“You’re our prisoners, in case you’re forgetting. You have to obey to what we say, and that includes not getting the helmet.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t escape!”

“Oh, I’d like to see you try, Sunshine.”

“Stop calling me Sunsh—“

Suddenly, the front door exploded, a loud and deafening sound bombarding their ears. All six of them stood up from their seats, one after another. Yuta muttered a curse under his breath and followed behind Taeyong who was now scurrying towards the living room, where the explosion happened. The others followed suit, their expressions all in a mixture of shock and sudden fear.

In the living room stood three beautiful women, all wearing a dress accompanied by their pearl white smiles. For a split second, Youngho and Yuta were mesmerized by the sight. It was delightful. Tempting, even…

Taeyong blinked and quickly muttered a curse. From his frozen spot, Jaehyun watched as Taeyong reached towards the shadows and willed it to cover his arm, the swirling black smoke solidifying into a glinting sword.

“What are you…” Youngho trailed off, his voice lighter than usual.

Suddenly, the one in the middle changed her form and barred its teeth, causing Youngho to stumble back in shock.

“Hush, son of Aphrodite,” she said. “Your time will soon come to an end.”

Sicheng glanced at his abandoned sword laying on the floor, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “What do you want from us?”

“Ah,” the one on the right chuckled. “The son of Athena.”

“We just want the helmet, young ones.” The one on the left flashed a sweet smile.

Ten and Yuta’s lips parted, their mouth suddenly going dry. Taeyong loosened his grip on his sword and lowered it down, feeling the strong urge to kneel and kiss the women’s feet.

Youngho blinked and furrowed his eyebrows. “Charmspeak,” he whispered. “They’re using charmspeak!”

Jaehyun’s eyes widened and immediately grabbed the person closest to him, which was Taeyong. He gripped onto the son of Hades’ arm and tried to pull him back, tugging at his senses. Taeyong blinked twice before his eyes cleared out, his pupils turning a shade darker than it already was.

“You can’t have it,” he growled. Around them, the temperature dropped, but the three women seemed unbothered by the sudden temperature change. “It’s not yours to take.”

Taeyong swung his sword, and all the shadows around them erupted like a volcano. Sicheng and Youngho took this chance to run towards their weapons.

Sicheng went on a defensive stance. “They’re called empousai. They feast on men’s blood and could also shapeshift and charmspeak.”

The shadows moved around them and pined the women onto the wall. The one on the left laughed maniacally and tried to break free from the shadows’ grasp. Taeyong winced lightly but held on, stepping sideways to cover Jaehyun’s figure.

“You can’t run forever!” The one in the middle screamed.

Youngho threw his dagger straight onto her heart. Instantly, her pleasing image vanished quickly as her true form slowly shimmered and bloomed. Jaehyun gasped at what he saw. The woman had a donkey leg and a prosthetic copper leg.

“Your goddess sent you?” Sicheng pointed his sword at them.

“Even if she didn’t, the others would still go after you!” The one on the right spat, struggling to break free from the shadows. Taeyong winced at the light stab that went through his gut.

“Stop it.” Jaehyun said, noticing Taeyong’s subtle movements.

“No,” Taeyong shook his head. A drop of sweat rolled down his forehead. “Gather all your belongings.”

“W-what?” Ten stammered.

“Just to as I say.”

Jaehyun bit his lower lip and went to pick up his bow and arrows from the coffee table. Youngho lifted their belongings from the ground while Yuta and Ten remained standing beside Taeyong.

“Go stand behind me. All of you.” Taeyong commanded.

“What are you planning, Yong?” Yuta asked, his voice laced with concern.

The woman in the middle wailed. Taeyong ignored her and focused on keeping the shadows up, not bothering to spare his friends a glance. “Once the ground opens up,” he said, referring to Yuta and Ten. “I want the two of you to guide them out of this place.”

“What about you?” Ten asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Taeyong muttered. He took a step forward and smiled at the empousai, menace glinting in his eyes. “Are you up for a magic trick?”

“You’ll never escape us!” One roared.

Taeyong closed his eyes and stood still for a while. Then, the temperature dropped once again, ice now forming on random corners of the room. Jaehyun gasped at the cold and wrapped his arms around himself.

Yuta and Ten quickly pushed the other three towards the door just as cracks started to form on the ground. Jaehyun watched with wide eyes as the living room erupted into flames, skeletons crawling out of the massive hole that led straight into the Underworld. He gasped when the shadows around them melted like a puddle of water.

Yuta pushed everyone out of the door while Jaehyun remained frozen on his spot. All three empousai fell onto the floor, wailing. The skeletons formed ranks in front of Taeyong like armed men.

“Jaehyun!” Sicheng frantically called.

The son of Apollo gasped. Suddenly, he was lying on the floor with one of the monsters clawing on his skin. He heard Youngho and Sicheng’s voices calling out his name.

“Serve me!” Taeyong commanded and immediately, the skeletons went to work.

Around them, the walls started to shake. Youngho pried away the empousai latching onto Jaehyun and quickly helped his friend on his feet. Beneath their feet, a low groan could be heard. Taeyong gasped when the building started to rumble before crumbling down into an abyss.

Suddenly, the six of them were being pulled into darkness and beneath the surface of the Earth, where a kingdom lies in riches.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did not proofread this yet. leave your comments below!!
> 
> twt: yzhangml  
> curiouscat.me/yidicking


	10. Palace

 

Jaehyun didn’t know how long he was unconscious. The fall down felt like the passing of time, his vision restricted only to seeing nothing but the blur of darkness surrounding him. The destructive scene above ground seemed so far away to him.

Dreams aren’t always a good for demigods, and for Jaehyun, most of the time, his dreams were the future of others. This time, though, he saw himself standing on a hill, waiting beside a tree. He had a grim look on his face as he watched a familiar dark figure approach him, slowly walking up the steep hill.

Jaehyun gasped and opened his eyes, his breathing ragged and shallow. He felt as though he was deprived of oxygen for a very long time. He blinked a couple of times, letting his eyes adjust to the dim surrounding. He glanced upwards, hoping to see the dark night sky, but was only met by sharpened rocks and crooked obsidians resting on the ceiling.

He slowly sat up, his arms shaking as he tried to support his own weight. “A-ah…” He groaned, feeling every bit of his muscles pulsate.

His face contorted in displeasure when he felt searing pain coming from his chest. He muttered a curse in Ancient Greek and carefully ran a hand across his tattered clothes. On his chest were several claw marks, all dripping with blood, staining his milk white skin with the dark red liquid.

“What the hell,” he whispered to himself, his fingers now stained with blood, and looked around him. The whole place was dark and silent, every corner filled with either sharp stones or glinting obsidians and different kinds of jewelries that could only be found underground. From afar, Jaehyun could hear the sound of water running and faint wailing.

The son of Apollo tried to get onto his feet, his knees barely straight. Still, he managed to stand firmly on the ground for a few seconds while he squinted on what seemed like a nearby river.

“Water!” He gasped and limped his way towards it. Not even three steps in, he already felt a cold pair of hands grab his shoulders and yank him back, turning him around.

“Hey! Hey”

Jaehyun’s heart drummed inside his chest, his frantic eyes meeting a pair of dark ones. Taeyong held him in place, his grip firm yet gentle at the same time.

“It’s me,” Taeyong huffed. “It’s just me.”

“O-oh, my gods…” Jaehyun stammered. “Oh, my gods.”

Taeyong released his, taking a step backwards and leaving a small space in between the two of them. The son of Hades glanced at Jaehyun’s bleeding torso, his face morphing into shock for a split second before returning his gaze onto Jaehyun’s face.

“Where are the others?” Jaehyun asked. He pressed a palm onto his chest and tried to stop the bleeding.

Taeyong furrowed his eyebrows. “You’re not with them?”

“No,” Jaehyun shook his head. “I just woke up and everyone was gone!”

A drop of blood trailed down Jaehyun’s body. Once it hit the surface, the ground hissed and produce smoke.

“We need to heal you,” Taeyong said. “You’re bleeding too much.”

Jaehyun scoffed and rolled his eyes. “What? You’re afraid of blood now?”

“No, but you’ll drop dead in front of me if we don’t tend to those cuts.”

Jaehyun stared at him. “I can do it by myself,” he said, slight indifference clouding his eyes. “We need to find the others first. What happened to the creatures?”

Taeyong shook his head, his hair falling over his eyes and making him look more menacing than he already is. “I don’t know. I woke up to find myself alone and covered in bruises, you think I’d care?”

Jaehyun shook his head and tried to limp past him. His whole body felt like it was on fire, the cuts on his chest burning like flaming lava, making each step harder than the previous one. “Where are we?” He asked.

“The Underworld.”

Jaehyun stopped in his tracks and had to pause for a second before turning back to the son of Hades. With wide eyes, he said, “Excuse me?”

“We’re in the Underworld.” Taeyong repeated.

“Why are we here?”

“I had no other choice.”

“No other choice?” Jaehyun looked like he was about to pass out on his spot. “We almost got killed and the first place that came to your mind was the god of death’s realm?”

“I wouldn’t say that here if I were you.” Taeyong grumbled under his breath before sighing. “Look, we need to take care of your wounds first before we look for the others.”

Jaehyun rolled his eyes, irritated. Although it was true that he could do it all by himself, it would take him hours before he gets to heal himself completely, and a lot of energy, too, which isn’t good for his entire well-being. Once, during capture the flag, after healing countless of campers after the game, his body completely passed out on him and took three whole days before he recovered.

Still, he refused.

“I said I can do it all by myself.”

But Taeyong wasn’t listening to him anymore. The son of Hades already has his back turned to him, his fingers placed in between his lips. Jaehyun didn’t know what the purpose of his whistle was supposed to be, until the ground shook from underneath their feet and a beast came bounding up towards them.

Suddenly, the place got darker. From afar, the sound of water rushing stopped momentarily. Jaehyun gasped and stumbled on his feet, falling flat on his back.

The creature growled, its three heads all staring intently at the son of Apollo. Suddenly, he looked like a 3-course meal. If it wasn’t for Taeyong, Jaehyun might have already been dead by the time he moved an inch of his muscles.

“Jaehyun,” the son of Hades called. “It’s fine.”

“T-that’s a hellhound!” Jaehyun exclaimed, his eyes wide and currently in shock.

“Yes, his name is Cerberus. I’m sure you’ve heard of him before.”

A low growl erupted from the creature, its three pairs of eyes dark and menacing. Jaehyun noticed its tail hissing quietly and realized the hound had a serpent for a tail. If Jaehyun hadn’t known better, he would think he’s in some kind of a bizarre dream.

Taeyong walked towards the son of Apollo and crouched down. Jaehyun glanced at him, his expression puzzled.

“Hey!” Jaehyun yelped, placing both of his palms on Taeyong’s chest while the latter lifted him off the ground and placed him on top of Cerberus.

Taeyong followed suit and sat behind him, wrapping his arms around Jaehyun’s stomach to secure him on his spot. “Have you tried shadow travelling before?” He asked.

“What’s that?”

Taeyong smirked and shook his head. “To my father, Cerberus.”

The creature howled, and Jaehyun winced at the piercing sound that penetrated through the thick and rough walls of the lower world. Cerberus stepped into the shadows and for a short moment, Jaehyun thought he was descending to his death.

It felt as though his body had turned liquid as the shadows sucked them in. It was cold, colder than any of the places on earth, and somehow, it was also very traumatizing. If not the scariest, it was probably one of the scariest experiences Jaehyun experienced in his life. He never liked the dark, even back then as a child.

A gasp escaped Jaehyun’s lips. He felt Taeyong’s grip loosen around his stomach and he took the time to slowly open his eyes. He heard the son of Hades chuckle behind him before he was lifted off the hellhound. They were inside a dimly lit room now, fire crackling from a distance.

Taeyong turned to Cerberus. “Thank you.” He said. The dog howled in response and trudged away.

“I’m never doing that again.” Jaehyun groaned. He placed a hand onto his bleeding torso and tried applying pressure on the pulsating area. It felt as if every drop of blood was leaving his entire system. Taeyong glanced at him and noticed the lack of color in his face.

“Where are we now?” Jaehyun asked, glancing at the huge double doors in front of them. The towering entrance all made from obsidian was enough to make his knees tremble. He could practically feel the darkness radiating off every corner and it wasn’t something he was accustomed to.

“In my father’s palace,” Taeyong answered, checking in to see Jaehyun’s reaction. He saw the latter’s eyes go wide in fear. It was a normal reaction. Perhaps, a bit too normal as any other demigod would’ve probably collapsed on the spot already.

Taeyong gently grabbed Jaehyun’s arm and led him near the door. Jaehyun resisted and tried to pry away Taeyong’s grip from him despite already feeling weak from his injuries.

“You’re out of your mind,” he said instead.

Taeyong ignored him and knocked three times. The doors slowly opened, its insides groaning as it opened a new path for the demigods to walk on. Inside the hall stood a long table enough to accommodate every camper at Camp Half Blood, its golden surface glinting under the dim lights hanging from the obsidian walls.

Jaehyun tried to swallow his fear, his eyes feasting on the platters of food laid on top of the table. It was like a feast, the kind you would see in high budget movies. Somehow, Jaehyun thought, the food looked even more appetizing than the already are. Like they were inviting you to consume them, drawing you in with their aroma.

The two demigods stopped on their track. Jaehyun turned to Taeyong and saw him staring at something, _someone,_ in front.

“Father,” Taeyong greeted. Jaehyun’s eyes travelled in front and saw a dark haired man sitting by the end of the table, holding a glass of wine in his hand. If danger was a person, it would be this man.

“Why are you here, Taeyong?” Hades asked, his voice deep and gravelly. Jaehyun sucked in a sharp intake of breath.

“To seek shelter,” Taeyong said, walking over to where his father was and pulling Jaehyun behind him.

The King of the Underworld did not give any reaction to his son. Instead, he brought his eyes over to Jaehyun, staring at him with nothing but darkness clouding his eyes. It was as if every shadow in the whole universe got trapped inside them, dangerous and brooding.

“And your friend here is?”

Jaehyun swallowed the fear forming in his throat. “J-Jaehyun, Sir…”

“Hm,” Hades nodded. He set down his glass onto the table and glanced at his son. “A partner of yours?”

Taeyong pursed his lips, his hand still holding onto Jaehyun’s arm. It took a few seconds before it registered into Jaehyun’s mind. He was about to open his mouth and protest when Taeyong spoke up.

“Just a fellow demigod.”

Hades nodded. Later that night, after the short encounter with the god, the two finally settled inside a very spacious room. The insides were almost empty if it weren’t for a bed resting beside the wall and a few books laying everywhere. Like the palace, the room was also dimly lit and surrounded by obsidian walls.

“Do you always come here?” Jaehyun asked while Taeyong gently dabbed nectar all over his bleeding cuts. A basin of water, now red with blood, and a blood stained towel sat on the floor.

“No,” Taeyong pursed his lips, solely focused on doing his work. Jaehyun can’t help but notice the permanent scowl on the demigod’s face.

Jaehyun quietly watched him, fascinated by how their situation turned out. In front of him was his supposed enemy, and the possible reason for his upcoming death. Still, here he is, under his mercy, just a few inches away from him and having his wounds tended to. He doesn’t him, though. Not yet.

“Why weren’t you at camp?” Jaehyun asked. Taeyong sighed at his curiosity and glanced at the son of Apollo.

“I grew up here,” he simply said, like it answers everything.

Jaehyun’s eyes furrowed in confusion but decided to let the topic pass. It was unusual for demigods to meet their parents, much less live with them.

“What about your friends? How did you meet them?”

Taeyong let out a sigh. “I met Yuta when he once tried to steal from the palace. Ten, on the other hand, always visited my dreams until one day, he showed up in front of the gates, looking for me.”

“Who’s Ten’s godly parent?”

“Hypnos.”

Jaehyun nodded and let the other do his work peacefully. After that, Jaehyun insisted to heal himself, which was sort of peculiar to the other demigod. Still, he let him so what he wanted to do.

Taeyong winced when a hint of glow appeared as he watched the son of Apollo do his work. He’ll never get accustomed to light.

Afterwards, Taeyong lended Jaehyun a spare t-shirt from under his bed. Jaehyun reluctantly took the piece of clothing from him.

“It’s clean, don’t’t worry,” Taeyong said.

Jaehyun nodded and proceeded to dress himself up. Meanwhile, Taeyong dragged a blanket with him and placed it onto the floor. Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows at him.

“What are you doing?”

“Preparing to sleep.”

“Huh?” Jaehyun stood up from the bed. “I can sleep on the floor instead! You don’t need to bother.”

Taeyong ignored him. The son of Hades took a pillow from the bed and finally settled down, turning his back away from Jaehyun who was still staring at him. “Goodnight.”

Jaehyun sighed and shook his head. He had no choice but to lay on the bed.

A few minutes of silence passed. Jaehyun continued to stare at the ceiling, sleep refusing to visit him. He sighed deeply and said, “Aren’t you afraid?”

Taeyong, with his eyes closed, asked, “Afraid of what?”

“Of dying…”

The son of Hades slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the ceiling, not knowing what to answer. Truthfully, he is afraid, but never in his life will he ever admit that out loud.

“No.”

Jaehyun remained silent. _I am not afraid of dying,_ he thought. _I am afraid of you._


End file.
